Portaferry House, Ballymurphy, Portaferry, Newtownards, Co Down, BT22 1PP

Portaferry House is a large, three-storey, hipped-roof country mansion in a restrained classical style, situated within an extensive demesne near Portaferry, County Down. The house was originally built around 1750, extended around 1790, and assumed its present form between 1818 and 1820, when the front façade was remodelled, the grand stairwell added and the east wing largely rebuilt, all to designs by the Dublin architect William Farrell. It is approached by a half-mile drive from Deerpark Road, passing through rough pasture and mature copses of mainly indigenous trees.

The south-facing front façade is symmetrical and arranged in three bays. The central bay rises through three full storeys and is flanked by broad, canted, hipped-roof bays of equal height but containing only two storeys. At the centre of the ground floor is a flat-roofed projecting porch. Its entrance is formed by double three-panelled timber doors, flanked on either side by two attached columns and corner pilasters, all with cushion bases and Ionic capitals supporting an entablature. The side walls of the porch each contain a sliding sash window without astragals. To either side of the porch are two tall sliding sash windows with Georgian panes. The first floor of the central section has five windows: the central one is a tripartite window surmounted by an elliptical relieving arch with keystone and infilled tympanum, flanked on each side by two sash windows matching those on the ground floor. The second floor of the central section is similar, but without the relieving arch over the tripartite window. The first- and second-floor windows of the central section rest on a sill course. The three-sided outer bays each have sash windows comparable to those of the central section. The entire elevation is rendered with lined render. All windows have moulded architraves and, except those at ground-floor bay level, rest on sill courses. The walls are topped with a projecting frieze cornice.

The west elevation of the main block is two storeys. Both floors have three unevenly spaced windows. The frieze cornice, window bands and surrounds match those of the front elevation. A six-pot chimney stack rises on the parapet above the cornice. The façade is mainly rendered but has plain stone quoins. A small window has recently been inserted below first-floor level, between the first and second windows.

The east elevation of the main block is three storeys, as the ground level falls away on this side to reveal a semi-basement. At basement level there are four equally spaced openings, each with double timber French doors leading onto a stone-flagged terrace; the third of these openings is covered by a Victorian-style wooden conservatory. The first and second floors each have four equally spaced windows with surrounds, and the detailing of the frieze matches the front elevation. The second-floor windows rest on a sill course, and a string course runs between the ground- and first-floor openings.

The rear elevation has a functional appearance, comprising various flat-roofed, lean-to and pitched-roof extensions of varying height and age. To the left is a relatively large two-storey hipped-roof return which, to the south, links to a much larger three-storey hipped-roof return extending from the main block. Immediately to the west of these is a comparatively small two-storey flat-roofed section, which in turn links westward to a very large three-storey block arranged in several bays, partly flat-roofed and partly hipped-roofed. This entire rear elevation has windows of varying size: the large three-storey block to the west has mainly sash windows, with the windows to its left side serving the large stairwell. The small flat-roofed two-storey section has modern-looking openings with modern frames. All windows have either Georgian or Georgian-style panes. The façades of the various returns, extensions and bays are mainly covered in lined render. Below the window sill of the grand staircase is a small, well-weathered plaque bearing the Savage/Nugent coat of arms.

The main roof is hipped and covered in Bangor Blue slates. There appear to be seven chimney stacks, all rendered and relatively plain in character, with simple cornicing and string courses.

The original central section of Portaferry House was constructed around 1750 by Andrew Savage, then head of the important local Savage family, on land granted to his ancestor Patrick Savage by King Charles I in 1628. This original building, which comprises the central and eastern portion of the main block of the present house, was by all accounts a relatively simple three-storey structure. In 1789, with money reportedly won in a wager with Robert Stewart of Mount Stewart, Patrick Savage had plans drawn up by Dublin architect Charles Lilly for extensions and improvements. These consisted of the addition of a west wing, the three-sided outer bays and changes to the rear. Although the west wing was built, it is uncertain to what extent Lilly's plans were fully carried out; the east bay, for instance, does not appear to have been added at this stage.

In 1814, following a bequest from his great-uncle Nugent of Dysart — which required him to change the family name to Nugent — Andrew Savage commissioned William Farrell to draw up new plans for further extending and remodelling the house. Work began in March 1818. The east wing was largely rebuilt to include principal public rooms to the front, a servants' wing with a classroom to the rear, and an extended basement floor. Bays were added to both wings. In the centre of the house the old staircase was removed, and what had been the old stairwell, hall and drawing room were combined to form a large reception hall. A new, grander staircase was built to the north of the new hall, and extensive plumbing work — including the addition of a new water closet — was carried out throughout the building. The farmyard was also enlarged at this time, kennels were built to the north side of the demesne, and a threshing mill and horse walk were built to the north-east of the farmyard. The work was completed in April 1820 at a total cost of £7,140 4s 4d.

Portaferry House remained in the Nugent family until the 1980s, by which time parts of the building had fallen into disrepair. The present owner has done much to restore it.