User:SeamieFitz/"Tyres Brae"

Tyres Brae is a rural community located on the Ardglass Road, Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. Some of the buildings have been around for 250 years (a coin or token was found in wall dated 1759). The main Downpatrick - Ardglass road once passed through the site, but a bypass was constructed in the 1800s. The old road can still be seen in one of the fields. The buildings have been gradually added to over the years and old maps plot their development. Some of the buildings have an accidental curve built into them. The site was once part of the Downshire hospital farm estate. The ethos of the site is moving towards Self Sustainability including home grown food such as apples, potatoes and eggs and using renewable energy - solar panels, biomass boilers and stoves etc. Buildings also incorporate, where possible, reclaimed materials - field stone, Bangor blue slates etc. The site also once hosted the 'Off The Beaten Track" festival.