Herdstown House, 11 Hogstown Road, Herdstown, Donaghadee, Co Down, BT21 0NL

Herdstown House is a substantial two-storey gabled gentleman farmer's residence dating from approximately 1770-1780, situated on a slight rise to the west of Hogstown Road, just over a mile west of Donaghadee. The house now serves as a guest house.

The symmetrical front elevation faces east and is finished in painted rough cast. At its centre is a large full-height gabled bay containing the main entrance on the ground floor. The entrance consists of a panelled timber door with a semicircular fanlight featuring spoked or spider's web tracery. The door is framed by stone pilasters with plain shafts and acanthus leaf capitals. The fanlight has a reeded or scalloped architrave with keystone, decorated with urn and swag moulding. The doorway is flanked by narrow six-pane sidelights with circa 1970s circle pattern glazing. A relatively small sash window occupies the first floor of the bay. To either side of the bay are slightly taller sash windows on the ground floor, with shorter versions on the first floor.

The south gable contains a sash window on the first floor to the right, with two small attic windows featuring two-pane frames that resemble sashes but appear to be fixed. The north gable has two sash windows on both ground and first floors, with two much smaller sash windows at attic level. This gable merges with the north face of a large two-storey gabled return, which dates partly from the mid-19th century. The return has two sash windows and a squatter modern window to the ground floor, and three smaller sash windows to the first floor. A lower two-storey outbuilding abuts the western end of the return.

A two-storey lean-to extends from the south face of the return. Its south face has three windows with modern frames to the ground floor and three windows of differing size to the first floor, also with modern frames. A modern door and window occupy the west face. The exposed rear façade of the main section of the house has windows to both floors, both with modern frames. Most windows to the rear have modern frames.

The entire façade is finished in painted rough cast. All roof sections are covered in asbestos slate. There are rendered chimney stacks to the two main gables of the main section and two additional stacks to the return, all appearing to have been recently rebuilt or re-rendered. Rainwater goods appear to be cast iron. A Velux window has been added to the lean-to section.

A large collection of outbuildings stands to the rear. A northern outbuilding, dating from circa 1860, is a two-storey structure with a rubble façade and hipped roof. A western outbuilding, probably pre-dating 1834, is much longer, finished in rough cast with a gabled roof, though it now features many enlarged window openings with circa 1950s metal frames. A lower two-storey outbuilding abuts the western end of the return.

The main section of Herdstown House and part of the rear return are shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1834. The valuation of 1835 confirms that the return was at that time somewhat smaller, measuring 29 feet by 19 feet by 20½ feet, and indicates that the house was already relatively old, perhaps dating from the mid to later 18th century. The revised Ordnance Survey map of 1858-1860 shows that the return had acquired much of its present form by that date. The owner recorded in the 1835 valuation is Alexander McMinn, whose family had held the property since at least 1814 and may have been responsible for its building. The actual date of construction is uncertain. A house belonging to 'McMinn esq' appears on Taylor's and Skinner's map of 1777, west-southwest of Donaghadee, though this same map refers to it as 'Temple Patrick', suggesting it is a different dwelling situated within Templepatrick townland to the south of Donaghadee. Herdstown House is shown on James Williamson's map of 1810. The McMinns remained at Herdstown until at least 1886. At some point during the 19th century, according to the present owner, the property served as an inn.