Manse

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A 2 storey 3 bay wide slated and hipped manse, smooth rendered and painted. The entrance front which faces north, has a central doorway with square head, shouldered, and fanlight. On either side there is a canted single storey bay having 3 no. sliding sash windows segmental heads. The window cills are continuous and form a stringcourse with another at impost level. The slated roofs of the bays have metal cresting. At first floor there are 3no.2 pane sliding sash windows, square headed. Above a frieze band with scrolls under soffit. These return on the gables. There is a chamfered plastered plinth, painted, with smooth rendered walls painted. The slated roof is low pitched with long hips and a pair of chimney stacks closely spaced on the ridge.

The gables have single sliding sash windows at ground and first floor. There is a 2 storey back return 2 bays long. Behind the house is an enclosed yard with 2 storey outbuilding beyond, gabled, built of stone and slated.

The building is sited on rising ground on the south side of the Glenshane Road and the Owenbeg River. It has a sweeping upward avenue approach from gated entrance with metal gates and piers, low curved wing with railing and terminating in roughcast rendered octagonal piers with pyramidal copings to match.

Historical information

The house was built in the early 1880s. The site was obtained in 1880 from the Ogilby family and John Guy Ferguson prepared plans and supervised the work for a fee of £20. The house cost £607-0-0 and the builder was Colhoun of Derry.

References

Primary Sources
O.S. map 1832 revised 1905-6 Londonderry 24

Secondary Sources
Mullan The Presbytery of Limavady
Thompson & Young Presbyterianism in Dungiven 1835-1886 p.31, 33

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A soundly built manse of the late Victorian era, designed by an eminent Derry Architect, John Guy Ferguson. The house presents an imposing pile sitting on rising ground overlooking pleasant countryside.