26-27 The Square, Portaferry, Co Down, BT22 1LR

A small, informal two storey terraced block of possible pre-1834 construction, located on the east side of The Square in Portaferry town centre, now comprising a shop (No. 27) and a house (No. 26). The building has a nine-metre frontage with a west-facing asymmetrical front façade.

The ground floor is divided between the two properties. No. 27 to the left features a simple modern timber shop front with a painted wooden sign, currently undergoing renovations. No. 26 has a six-panel timber door to the left with fanlight and sidelight, flanked to the right by a tripartite sliding sash window with no astragals. Both the door and window are topped with a moulded segmental arch. The entire first floor belongs to No. 26 and contains two windows matching those on the ground floor but with the addition of horns. The façade is finished in rusticated render and painted. The gabled roof is covered with Bangor blue slate and has an eaves course. Three yellow brick chimney stacks with assorted pots rise from the roof, the stack to the south having pots; smooth cement render parapets separate this building from its neighbours.

Historical records show a building on this site belonging to a widow Moreland on Patrick O'Hare's map of 1799. The circa-1835 valuation returns describe the house as two storey and relatively old, graded 'C' by the valuers. The 1863 valuation upgraded it to grade 'B', suggesting possible rebuilding or renovation between these dates. The property remained in the Moreland family until at least 1863, when James Moreland is recorded as the occupant. Between 1863 and 1900, the building was divided into two separate properties, with part of the ground floor converted to a shop.