Fort Hill, 85 Bowtown Road, Ballyreagh, Newtownards, Co Down, BT23 3SL

Fort Hill is a two-storey farm house likely dating to the mid-19th century, although it has been significantly extended to the rear and updated with modern features. The house is situated on a slight rise off Bowtown Road, approximately one mile southwest of Newtownards.

The front (north) facade features a central doorway with a plain “Ards” surround consisting of pilasters and a semicircular archivolt with a keystone. The doorway now has a modern panelled and glazed door and a semicircular fanlight above. Modern two-pane PVC windows flank the doorway, with similar windows positioned above on the first floor. The west gable has a window on both ground and first floors matching those on the front. This gable connects to a large, flat-roofed return, which also has windows similar to those on the front facade on its first floor, and a broader window with a PVC frame on the ground floor. The east gable has a window on the first floor matching those on the front. A full-height gabled return projects from the rear of the house, with a flat-roofed extension to its west side and a large, single-storey lean-to attached to the south gable. The entire facade is finished with rough cast render, with a plain, recessed rendered base on the front and rear elevations. The return and flat-roofed extension feature PVC windows and a glazed rear door. The main house and return have pitched roofs covered in Bangor blue slates. Yellow brick chimneys are present—two on the gables of the main house and one on the gable of the return. The building has rendered parapets and PVC rainwater goods. A gabled outbuilding is attached to the corner of the flat-roofed extension on the west side.

Buildings are shown on the Ordnance Survey Map of 1834 on this site, although none match the current house. A building appears on the revised map of circa 1860, suggesting the house’s construction may have been in the 1840s or 1850s. The return was added in the first half of the 20th century, and the flat-roofed extension was built around the 1980s.