‘Folly’, Portaferry House Demesne, Coach Road, Ballymurphy, Portaferry, Co Down

Folly

This romantic gothick folly is a circular ruin measuring roughly 18 feet in diameter and 22 feet in height, constructed from random rubble. It was probably built in the mid-19th century from the remains of a former windmill tower of possible 18th century origin.

The structure features a rectangular stairwell extension and various 'gothic arch' openings throughout. The entrance at ground level is a 'gothic' archway leading into a small dome-shaped vaulted chamber. A second gothic-arched entrance gives access to the rectangular extension, which contains a spiral stairway. This stairway formerly led to an upper level, now overgrown, with reconstructed walls built from loose stone found at the base and 'gothic' openings of various sizes. The building has no roof. A stone bridge stands close by.

The building is situated within the former pleasure grounds of the Portaferry House demesne, south of the house itself and less than half a mile north of Portaferry, County Down.

Historical Evidence and Development

The structure does not appear on the Ordnance Survey map of 1834, although the limited scope of this map does not preclude its existence. By the revised Ordnance Survey map of 1860, the building is marked as a 'corn mill in ruins'. Given that most windmills in the upper Ards area date from the 18th and early 19th centuries, the mill probably already stood in 1834 but was already ruined by that date. The windmill likely originated in the mid-18th century or earlier. The building's current appearance, with its pointed arch openings and other gothic features, may represent a deliberate mid-19th century attempt to transform the remaining shell into a romantic gothick ruin.