Outbuildings at Ringdufferin House, 35 Ringdufferin Road, Ringdufferin, Killyleagh, Co. Down, BT30 9PH

The outbuildings at Ringdufferin House stand to the east of the main house, reached by a very long, winding, picturesque drive west of Ringdufferin Road, approximately 2.5 miles north-northeast of Killyleagh. Set within well-wooded grounds overlooking the east coast of Strangford Lough, these buildings probably date mainly from circa 1790 to circa 1800, the same period when most of the present house appears to have been constructed.

All the buildings are of random greywacke rubble construction with mainly natural slated hipped and gabled roofs. The complex comprises a large L-shaped two-storey block at its heart, with two stable blocks to the west, a small single-storey forge to the south, a row of piggeries to the northeast, and a large boathouse of relatively recent date to the east. To the southeast of the boathouse stands a small ruined tower, possibly older than the other outbuildings.

The large two-storey L-shaped building forms the heart of the complex. It is approached from the southeast via a drive branching off from the main house drive, leading to a high rubble wall with a gateway. The gateway consists of two large square pillars with fairly old-looking decorative wrought iron gates that have had timber sheeting added to their lower halves. These gates open into a large courtyard.

To the southeast of the courtyard, next to the gates, stands the single-storey forge with a part-hipped, part-gabled roof carrying some Tullycavy slates and a single brick chimney stack. The northwest façade has a timber-sheeted door and three irregularly positioned eyebrow windows which actually appear to be semicircular fanlights removed from doorways. The northeast gable end contains a large, fairly recent-looking doorway with double timber-sheeted doors. The roof overhangs at this end, and the gable as a whole appears to be of modern construction—the roof was probably originally hipped at this side also. The southeast façade is buttressed to the left side.

The courtyard is bounded on the northeast and southeast sides by the large two-storey L-shaped building. The southwest façade of the northeast block has, on the ground floor, a sash window to the far left with Georgian panes (six over six), then a segmental-headed doorway with sandstone dressings and a partly glazed door, then another sash window as before. To the right are two large segmental carriage arches with sandstone dressings and keystones. The first (left) has timber-sheeted double doors whilst the right one is open and goes right through the building. Between the arches is a sash window as before, and to the right of the right arch is a window-door-window combination matching that at the far left. On the first floor, windows are positioned to correspond with those on the ground floor. The two to the left have frames as the ground floor, but the three to the right are louvered. Between the two windows to the far right, directly above the far right pedestrian doorway, is a sundial with a square slate face framed in timber and metal gnomon. Much of this façade is covered in creeping plant growth.

The northeast façade of this block has a sheeted door to the far left on the ground floor, then centrally the large walk-through archway. Immediately to the right is a sash window as before, then to the far right another sash window, as before but taller and with a segmental head. On the first floor are six seemingly evenly spaced window openings, with those to the far left and the three to the right all having sash frames as before, but the second and third openings from left are louvered. The short northwest façade has a tall sash window on the ground floor, much as before but with segmental head and engineering-like brick dressings. Directly above this is a window as before.

The southeast block of the L-shaped building has a sash window as before to the left on the ground floor of its northwest façade; to the right is a timber-sheeted door set within a shallow semicircular-headed recess, then a window as previous. On the first floor are four louvered openings. Between the first and second openings are the arms of the Baillie family in sandstone on a cement panel. Much of this façade is covered in creeping plant growth. The southeast façade has a large modern corrugated iron lean-to built against it, as does the short southwest façade.

To the northwest side of the courtyard is a large single-storey building with a rubble façade and natural slated gabled roof with gable parapets. The southeast façade has two large elliptical arch doorways with timber-sheeted double doors and red brick dressings to their arch heads. The right-hand arch, which is also the larger of the two, has engineering-like brick dressings to its sides. To the far left on this façade, which is largely covered in thick plant growth, is a timber-sheeted door with small glazed panel. There is a small high-level window to the northeast gable of this building, with a timber-sheeted stable door at ground level directly below it. To the left of this, the façade merges with a high rubble wall which joins the wall to the southeast containing the main entrance gate to the courtyard from the drive. This wall contains a central segmental archway. On the northwest side there is a small rubble-built lean-to either side of the arch. That to the north has a recessed timber-sheeted door and small fixed-light window to its southwest face, and that to the south has a similar arrangement to its northeast face. On its northeast face are several small openings near the eaves with small ledges beneath, which appear to be openings for birds. Both lean-tos have natural slated roofs.

To the north of the lean-tos is a high rubble-built wall with a small doorway. This leads into a fairly small cobbled stable yard. On the southeast side of this yard, built into the back of the large single-storey block to the northeast of the main courtyard, is a lean-to. This is rubble-built with natural slate roof. Its northwest façade has a series of low stable doors. To the northwest side of the yard is another stable block, also with a rubble façade but taller than before and with a gabled roof. This block has a series of stable doors along with a series of roundel openings at a higher level. On its northeast gable there is a high-level window with six panes, and on its southwest gable there appears to be a roundel window and a bellcote at the gable apex, all covered in vegetation. The northwest façade of this block was not observed. At the north end of the stable yard there is a high rubble-built wall, now mostly covered in vegetation, with a large segmental arch gateway with fairly recent-looking timber gates. The stable yard has a recently built trough running down it, made largely from large clay drainage pipes.

To the north of the large L-shaped block in the main courtyard there is low rubble walling around two small grassy areas which border the shoreline. The area to the southeast has two small piggeries to its north corner, with rubble-built façades, natural slated hipped roofs and various timber-sheeted doorways. Around both is much low rubble-built walling forming pigsties. The piggery to the northwest side has a small rubble-built chimney. On the north side, at the shoreline, the level of the land drops away slightly and there is a rubble-built ramp built against the north wall of the piggery area, with a small opening in the wall giving access to the ramp.

To the east of the main farm outbuildings there is a large boathouse. This is rubble-constructed also, with a slated gabled roof and three large segmental openings with large timber-sheeted doors to its northeast gable. The openings have what appear to be concrete heads. The slipway is overgrown.

To the southeast of the boathouse is a roofless ruin of a small square lookout tower. This tower is roughly two storeys (circa 4 metres) in height and slightly battered. It is rubble-built and shows evidence of once being harled, with a relatively large high-level window opening to northwest and southeast, a ground-level doorway to the northeast and a small roundel opening at a very low level to the southwest. The tower is open to the elements.

To the northwest of the main group of outbuildings is a large walled garden with high rubble walling around it, which was not accessed.