Archway and adjacent buildings at 'The Fort', 171 Clay Road, Ballygoskin, Killyleagh, Co. Down, BT30 9PN

Archway and Adjacent Buildings at 'The Fort'

A group of two-storey outbuildings arranged either side of an arched gateway, dating from 1837 and forming the entrance to a farm complex situated on the north-east side of Clay Road, approximately 3 miles north-west of Killyleagh. The ensemble was built by Thomas Taylor, the then owner of the farm, as evidenced by the date stone 'T : T 1837' set above the gateway.

The gateway itself consists of a tall elliptical arch serving as a carriage entrance, with painted sandstone dressings on the south-west (road-facing) side. Above the dressings sits the inscribed date panel. The opening has no dressings to the north-east (inner) side but is topped with a segmental curve, coping, and cone and ball pinnacle. A traditional-style clock face has been installed recently above the opening on the inner side. Both sides of the gateway are finished in unpainted rough cast. A low curving rough-cast rendered wall branches from either side of the arch and skirts the roadside to both north-west and south-east.

The north-west outbuilding, finished in rough cast, was originally built as a barn but now appears to have been converted to a small dwelling. Its south-east façade has a left of centre doorway with painted stone surround and timber-sheeted door with small glazed panel. To the left is a small sash window (two over two) and to the right is a similarly sized window with a four-pane frame made to resemble a sash but opening inwards. The first floor has two slightly smaller windows of similar design. The north-east gable features a large sixteen-pane fixed light window set at high level, which was originally a large loft opening. The north-west façade has a small four-pane window to the centre left on the ground floor, a doorway to the right, and to the first floor two even smaller windows at centre left and right. The gabled roof is covered in natural slate with cast iron rainwater goods.

The south-east outbuilding was originally built as stables and now houses a tack room and offices. Its north-west façade has a timber-sheeted door to the left on the ground floor, a window with modern frame, another doorway, and another window. The first floor has a timber-sheeted loft door to the left, and to the right three windows with modern frames. The north-east gable features a first-floor timber-sheeted door reached via stone steps with a modern-looking rail; cut into the base of the steps is a large recess which formerly housed a water tank but now contains a garden seat. The south-east façade has four ground floor windows with modern frames and four first-floor windows with four-pane frames. The façade is finished in unpainted rough cast. The gabled roof is covered in natural slate with two small cast iron skylights to each side.

The site contains various other structures. Modern outbuildings stand to the north of the gateway ensemble, with a single-storey house to the north of these, which appears to have been rebuilt in fairly recent times. An old rath lies to the north (from which the whole complex takes its name, 'The Fort'). A two-storey split-level stable block stands to the east, which may predate the gateway ensemble in origin but has had its openings altered in recent times. To the west, at the end of a lane marking the original route of Clay Road, stands a relatively simple wrought iron gateway with arrow-head decoration and square gate pillars, which was installed sometime after 1837 but before 1859.

According to 1837 valuation returns, the north-west building served originally as a barn and the south-east building as stables. Prior to 1837, the road line lay slightly further north-east with farm outbuildings positioned on both sides of it, as shown on the 1834 Ordnance Survey map. By the 1859 map, the road had been redirected to its present alignment. The same maps show the original farmhouse, which was positioned to the south of the present dwelling.