71 Newtownards Road, Ballyfotherley, Donaghadee, Co Down, BT21 0PT

71 Newtownards Road, Ballyfotherley, Donaghadee is a relatively plain one and a half storey gabled farmhouse dating from 1864-65, with a substantial two storey return added to the rear. The house is situated at the end of a long lane to the north of Newtownards Road, roughly one and a half miles west of Donaghadee.

The symmetrical front façade faces south. The centrepiece is the entrance, comprising a glazed and panelled door with Doric column jambs and a decorated lintel recessed directly above. Above this sits a plain glazed elliptical fanlight with moulded architrave. To the left of the doorway is a sash window with horizontal glazing bars and margin panes (6 panes over 6). A similar window mirrors this arrangement to the right of the entrance.

The west gable contains two upper level windows with modern sash-like frames. The east gable has a ground floor window matching the front façade arrangement, and to its right a slightly smaller sash window with Georgian panes (6 over 6). Two further windows occupy the first floor level of this gable.

The rear elevation is dominated by a large two storey return. The gable of the return features two square first floor windows with modern frames. The east face of the return has a large window with a modern frame on the first floor. At ground level, a small single storey lean-to situated in the junction between the return and main house contains a window with a modern frame to its east face and a timber sheeted door to its north face. To the right on the ground floor of the main return stands a window with a modern frame. The west face of the return mirrors the east face arrangement, with windows on both ground and first floor levels. Far right on the ground floor of the main house rear façade is a modern glazed door.

The exterior is finished in unpainted lined render. The gabled roof is slated, with corrugated iron sheeting to the lean-to. The main section roof includes an overhang and plain barges. Three rendered chimney stacks serve the main gables. Cast iron rainwater goods predominate.

A rendered garden wall with a wrought iron gate fronts the property to the west. Two gabled outbuildings of one and two storeys stand to the west and south, constructed mainly in rendered brick.

Several windows, particularly those to the return, appear to be modern insertions or have been enlarged in relatively recent times. Many windows throughout the property, particularly to the rear, now feature modern frames. The original owner's records indicate the house was built by an ancestor to replace an earlier dwelling situated further to the west, with evidence from the 1858-60 Ordnance Survey map confirming that the original dwelling was not on this site.