14 Munolahug Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A vernacular group of 2 storey and single storey farm buildings with single storey cottage which has been extended to the rear and encloses a small farmyard. The dwelling which has been renovated, has a 2 storey outbuilding at one end with external steps and the remains of a byre at the other end. The house has a bed outshot which is now incorporated into a back return. Originally the house was 2 room with direct entry and fireplace in gable at 2 storey end. Now the kitchen has been partitioned off to form a hall with access to back return. A further room has been added beyond the bedroom by taking in an outbuilding. The kitchen is now in the back return. The roof has been changed to interlocking concrete tiles, the walls pebble dashed and modern windows inserted. Interior has been replastered.

The 2 storey outbuilding in line with the dwelling is 2 bays long each bay has different roof finish. That next to the house has natural slates, the other corrugated iron. In front of the slated portion a flight of stone steps parallel to the wall with underside built in with door under landing giving access to ground floor. Immediately above, at top of landing a sheeted door to the first floor. The corrugated roof section has a door at ground level and another at first floor without access and directly over the door below. Towards the gable, another slightly smaller opening sheeted with corrugated iron. The walls are roughly plastered and whitewashed in contrast to the pebbledash of the cottage. To rear of the 2 storey barn there is a single door opening without access in the slated portion. Walls similarly treated.

At the gable of the 2 storey barn a lean to corrugated iron roofed shed slightly shorter in length than the width of gable and in line with the rear wall. Walls similarly treated as barn. The other wall of the shed is almost out to the verge of the road. The shed, barn and cottage are set at an angle to the roadway, not quite a right angle.

Parallel to the road and forming the verge, a single storey outbuilding with an outshot and windowless to the road. This building defines the farmyard and the gap between it and the 2 storey barn as the entrance to the farmyard from the road and to the dwelling. This building is 2 bays long with 2 sheeted doors, stone built walls, whitewashed and unpainted corrugated iron roof without chimneys. From the lower gable enclosing walls project to form a small external area for pigs. Walls are about 1.5 metres high with a narrow opening to the farmyard and a low opening into the piggery. The piggery (now unused) is walled off roughly in line with what was probably a bedshot. At the other gable there is an opening high up in the gable for access to loft. The front to the road is windowless. This building was probably the original cottage in the site.

The cottage faces east and at the entrance to the farmyard from Munolahug Road there is a stonebuilt round conical topped pillar at the NW corner of the piggery. Unfortunately its companion has been demolished and a thin rendered square pillar rebuilt with short length of wall joined to lean-to shed, presumably to widen the entrance.

Historical information

The 1832 O.S.S. No. 24 shows a building where the piggery now is and it is assumed that this was originally a dwelling with bed outshot. The entrance door and any windows would have been on the S side i.e. overlooking the present farmyard.

The 1856 O.S.S. No. 24 shows the buildings as they are at present. The cottage was improved and extended with NIHE Housing Grant c 1990.

References

Primary Sources
1. O.S. Map 1st Edition 1832 Co Londonderry sheet no 24
2. O.S. Map 1st rev. 1856 Co Londonderry sheet no 24
3. Owner 19-08-1999

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An interesting vernacular farm buildings group, of early and mid 19th century retaining much of its early character and worthy of note. It is unfortunate that the house renovation was not more sympathetically treated.