TOWER-HOUSE: PORTAFERRY CASTLE in Ballyphilip; Portaferry — Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

Portaferry Castle is a small tower house in Ballyphilip, Portaferry, County Down, built in the 16th century by William Le Savage. It has three storeys, an attic, a south-corner turret and a ruined eastern corner, with a curved stair and a west-corner spiral stair reaching the roof. In 1635 Sir James Montgomery of Rosemount repaired its roof and floors so his sister could live there more comfortably. The entrance still faces the harbour with a machicolation and murder-hole, as if the tower were still deciding whether to trust whoever knocks.

The official Northern Ireland record identifies this as TOWER-HOUSE: PORTAFERRY CASTLE. Recorded period: LATE-MED. Recorded protection: State Care. The official map point was placed at the centre of the recorded archaeological site from the source map reference.

Portaferry Castle, a medieval tower-house located in Ballyphilip, was likely built in the late medieval period, possibly by a local Gaelic or Anglo-Norman lord for defensive purposes. It is remembered as an example of early stone tower-house architecture in Ulster, reflecting the region's historical patterns of settlement and conflict.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.