46 Moneyslane Road, Ballyward, Castlewellan, Co Down, BT31 9QD

Turley's Bar, Moneyslane Road, Ballyward

A detached, symmetrical, multi-bay two-storey house with attic, built around 1870 and largely rebuilt around 2006. The building stands on an elevated site at a crossroads in the village of Lowtown, at the junction of Moneyslane Road and Closkelt Road.

The house is rectangular on plan, facing north, with a modern bar abutting the rear elevation, constructed around 2006. The pitched roof is covered in natural slate with black clay ridge tiles, cement verges and replacement rendered chimneystacks with clay pots. Replacement cast-iron rainwater goods run from rendered eaves. The walling is ruled-and-lined cement render with rendered quoins.

The symmetrical front elevation is five windows wide. Windows throughout are square-headed with granite sills and replacement 2/2 timber sash windows with exposed sash boxes. The front elevation was raised during recent renovations to accommodate an additional attic storey. The central entrance comprises a square-headed door opening with cut granite surround, a replacement flat-panelled timber door and rectangular overlight. The door opens onto stone setts with granite kerbs, approached by three steps rising to the street. The front area is enclosed to the road by original decorative wrought-iron railings on a rendered plinth wall, with a matching pedestrian gate bearing the marker's name 'J. Walker Ballyward'.

The east gable fronts onto the street and has two windows at ground floor, one at first floor and one at attic level, with replacement timber casement windows. The west gable has a window and door opening at ground floor (a replacement timber glazed door), two window openings at first floor and one at attic level.

The rear south elevation is five windows wide and is partially abutted by a two-storey pub built around 2006. The ground floor opens onto a raised paved terrace with storage units below serving the pub and bitumac parking beyond.

Historical Context

The original building was constructed by Margaret Turley around 1870. While buildings stood on the site as early as 1833–34 (shown on the first edition ordnance survey), these do not appear to have survived. The present house first appears on the third edition ordnance survey map of 1901–02, together with outbuildings forming a courtyard to the south-west, most of which are now gone.

The property was initially leased by John Turley to James Gilmore and valued at £4. Margaret Turley took over in 1868, and the valuation rose to £8 that year, reaching £12 10s by 1872. A shop was added to the valuation around this time, suggesting construction of the dwelling house dates to approximately 1870. The house and outbuildings stood on an acre of land with ten rooms designated as first class, and initially included 29 outbuildings: six stables, two coach houses, and various agricultural buildings including piggeries and cow/calf houses.

Margaret's son Patrick Turley, a minor local landlord, took over the shop and dwelling in 1883, and shortly afterwards a public house licence was added to the property description. In the 1901 census, Patrick Turley was recorded as a Catholic farmer and publican, aged 60, with his young second wife of 36 managing the shop. They employed three live-in servants: one to work on the farm, a general labourer and a male domestic. Patrick Turley died on 5 October 1911, leaving a considerable fortune of over £7,000 (equivalent to over £400,000 in modern terms). The pub and house then passed to his widow Sarah, who became the owner in fee in 1914.

By 1933–34, the house accommodation comprised a reception room, kitchen, bedroom and scullery on the ground floor, and two reception rooms, five bedrooms, a bathroom and WC on the first floor. The shop was then situated within the dwelling house, with the bar located to the rear as it remains today. Bar turnover was £350 in 1933 and £336 in 1932.

Recent Alterations

In 2006, the house and bar underwent a complete renovation, having been granted funding from the Natural Resource Rural Tourism Initiative (NRRTI) with involvement from the Mourne Heritage Trust. During this work, most of the original interior was removed. The building shows signs of having been raised in height, likely carried out as part of these recent renovations. Very little original fabric survives, and the substantial alterations, particularly the addition of an attic storey, have compromised the character of the building.