Gurteen

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single storey gabled and slated house raised on a basement with steps rising to a terrace and having a 2 storey back return.

The entrance has a central flight of steps to paved terrace the full length of the house frontage. The terrace has open balustrade on 3 sides and carries down both sides of the entrance steps. The façade is symmetrical with central double doors and semi-circular plain fanlight over. The doorway forms a narrow breakfront with shallow flat roof just under the main eaves. On each side single s/s 2 pane windows and beyond that on each side 2 canted bays with 3 s/s 2 pane window each. Bays have a slight string course above the window heads and finished with flat roofs tucked in under main eaves.

Walls are smooth rendered and painted. The roof has natural slates and gable chimney stacks and another on the ridge just off centre on the main door. There is a basement under the front part of the house. The floors are split level and stairs lead down to the ground floor of the back return.

The back return is 2 bays long with a lean-to roof at its gable. It is not centred on the front part of the house and its N wall is line with the N gable. The return has an irregular arrangement of s/s windows. On S side there is another canted bay with flat roof and 3 s/s 2 pane windows. The E exposed side of the front part has 2 widely spaced s/s 2 pane windows. The same external wall finish is throughout. There are decorative barges to the sashes of front block.

Historical information

Little information is available on the house. Before Bishop Daly went there a medical person owned the property.

It is shown on the O.S. map 1904-5 Londonderry but not on early maps. The house could date from the last decades of the 19th century.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A small late Victorian villa with interesting entrance front but little else. It has a large garden, well planted, divided into 3 parts.