Grotto / Folly, Montalto Estate, Dromore Road, Ballynahinch, County Down, BT24 8PX is a listed building in the Newry, Mourne and Down local planning authority area, Northern Ireland. 3 related planning applications.

Grotto / Folly, Montalto Estate, Dromore Road, Ballynahinch, County Down, BT24 8PX

WRENN ID
night-pavement-falcon
Grade
Local Planning Authority
Newry, Mourne and Down
Constituency
Strangford MP: Jim Shannon (DUP)
Country
Northern Ireland
Address
Grotto / Folly, Montalto Estate, Dromore Road, Ballynahinch, County Down, BT24 8PX, BT24 8PT
Irish grid reference
J 362 514
Coordinates
54.39371, -5.90354
Source
NI Environment Agency listing

Also on this page: related consents · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

This is a grotto or folly located on the Montalto Estate, approximately 100 metres south of Montalto House near Ballynahinch in County Down. The structure is a somewhat enigmatic, cave-like subterranean opening carved from natural rock. A roughly cut stone stair leads down into the grotto. Its function is unknown, and the current owner has no knowledge of its origins; it is not depicted on any historical maps. It is surmised to be a folly. An Ordnance Survey map of 1834 shows nothing at this location, but a revised map of 1858 marks a summerhouse nearby, a building which has since been demolished and may or may not have had a connection to the grotto. The structure dates to between 1820 and 1839.

Local climate

Grotto / Folly, Montalto Estate, Dromore Road, Ballynahinch, County Down, BT24 8PX receives an average of 930 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 71% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 65% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 13 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 87% of listed buildings. Of these, 7 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.2°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 3 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • No flood data for this area
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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Nearby listed buildings

  1. House at Montalto, Dromore Road, Ballymaglave north, Ballynahinch, Co Down, BT24 8PX Grade B1 25 m
  2. Montalto House, Dromore Road, Ballymaglave north, Ballynahinch, Co Down, BT24 8PX Grade B+ 83 m
  3. Pump situated in the Farmyard, Montalto Estate, Ballynahinch, Co Down Grade B1 274 m
  4. Farm buildings at Montalto House, Dromore Road, Ballymaglave north, Ballynahinch, Co Down, BT24 8PX Grade B1 292 m
  5. Ballynahinch Technical College, Church Road, Ballynahinch, Co Down, BT24 8LP 683 m
  6. Magheradroll C of I Parish Church, Church Road, Ballynahinch, Co Down Grade B1 727 m
  7. North (Town) gate screen and walling, Montalto House, Dromore Road, Ballymaglave north, Ballynahinch, Co Down, BT24 8PX Grade B1 733 m
  8. Ballynahinch Bridge, Dromore Street, Ballynahinch, Co Down Grade Record Only 758 m
  9. 14 Church Road, Ballynahinch, Co Down, BT24 8LP 778 m
  10. Edengrove Presbyterian Church, Dromore Road, Ballymaglave north, Ballynahinch, Co Down, BT24 8HP Grade B2 784 m