97 Old Ballygowan Road, Ballyrush, Comber, Co. Down, BT23 5RX

The site represents the former location of a single-story vernacular thatched dwelling, likely constructed between 1820 and 1839. Situated on the west side of Old Ballygowan Road, approximately two miles south of Comber in County Down, the original house was destroyed by fire in 1984 and has since been replaced by a new dwelling.

The original cottage, documented in a 1973 survey, was a single-story building with a thatched roof, gable ends, and brick chimneys. The walls were rendered and whitewashed, and the east-facing front had three drop-hung windows with horizontal astragals. A sheeted door was positioned between the third and fourth windows. Outbuildings were situated at the rear of the property; these largely survived and have been incorporated into the design of the replacement dwelling. The original building was approximately 52 feet wide.

An Ordnance Survey map from 1834 depicts a slightly smaller dwelling on the site compared to the house that stood there until 1984. A building of similar size is shown on the revised Ordnance Survey map of 1858. The property was not listed in the first valuation survey of 1834, and the accompanying map from the second valuation around 1863 is missing. Historical records indicate that the townland of Ballyrush was once part of the Londonderry estate and appears to have been leased to a family named Gowdy during both valuations.