32-34 Church Street, Portaferry, Co Down, BT22 1LS

Two storey terraced house on the west side of Church Street, Portaferry, of probable 18th century construction, formerly a shop with apartment above. The property is now substantially modernised and of little architectural interest.

The front (east) façade is asymmetrical. To the right of centre is the front doorway with a traditional six-panel door (salvaged from another property) fitted with a fanlight. Two windows to the left have PVC frames. The first two windows and the door are enclosed within a recessed outline marking the position of the former shop front. A further window sits to the right of the door. At first floor level there are three windows with PVC frames and window boxes positioned on top of stone cills. All windows have slim concrete cills. The entire front elevation is rendered and painted. The gabled roof is covered with composite slate. A yellow brick chimney stack without pots stands to the north, whilst a rendered chimney stack without pots is located to the south. Stone parapets run along both north and south sides. Prominent electric cabling is visible across the façade.

An extensive two storey gabled outbuilding stands at the rear, constructed in random rubble with brick dressings. It has a cobbled floor, brick chimney, and Bangor blue slate roof. Now used as a store, it may originally have served as stabling with living accommodation attached.

Historical records show a building on this site in Patrick O'Hare's map of Portaferry dated 1799, when it was in the possession of John Mageean and/or Widow Little. An inscription found in an old rear window (since replaced) read 'Jane Little Mar. 18 1834', suggesting that Widow Little was probably the resident in 1799. This is further supported by valuation returns of circa 1835 which list the occupier as John Little and grade the house as relatively old. In 1861, James Maguire is recorded as resident. During the early 20th century the property operated as a spirit grocers and retained its 19th century shop front until the late 1970s.