7 Fort Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

The house is situated close to Garvagh and to the south east of the town. Approaching from Kilrea a turn is made to the south-west about half a mile south of the centre of the town.

The house faces north-westand is single storey with a thatched roof between cast concrete skews. A red brick corbelled chimneystack rises on the south-west gable and there is a further stack above the position of the kitchen hearth. The wall finish at the front is of roughly plastered stone above a non-projecting black base.

The timber ledged, braced and sheeted entrance door is flanked to the left (north-east) by a vertically sliding plain sashed window and to the right by a similar window and then a triple window. Sash stops are curved and the depths of the sills vary at the leading faces.

The south-west gable is blank.

The building extends to the left (north east) as outbuildings with a roughcast wall finish and a corrugated iron roof. Two outside timber doors are of ledged, braced and sheeted construction. The gable is blank and the rear also finished in roughcast has an opening sealed with concrete block

The rear of the dwelling is finished with roughly plastered stone. From the right (north-east) there is a window similar to those at front and then there occurs a gabled extension with natural slate roof and plastic rainwater goods. This building is separated from the house by means of a short link. A timber door is glazed at the top and the windows are modern. Beyond this there is a further window on the main face of the dwelling similar to those already described.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS map of 1832 but not recorded in the (near) contemporary valuation. The property is noted in the 1857 valuation, but the confusing arrangement of the pencil
references and annotations on the accompanying map make it very difficult to discern what building is actually being referred to. As a consequence, although it is clear that the immediate lessor was Nathaniel Alexander, this particular house could have been occupied by anyone one of four tenants, James Campbell, Catherine Smyth, William Dalhome and Bernard Toner, with its rateable value either 10/- or 15/-.

In 1979 the property was given supplementary status, but because of its rarity value it was raised to listed status in 1992. A report by Jim Savage in October of the same year drew attention to the perilous state of the roof and that part had already fallen in. Repair work was carried out in 1993, with re-thatching (using flax) undertaken by Gerry Agnew. In 1995 an application was made for the building of the present extension. Further thatching was completed in 2001

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1A/5/18 OS map, County Londonderry sheet 18, ( including the shape of the existing barn ) with valuation references, (1832-c.38)
2 PRONI VAL/2A/5/18A Revised OS map, County Londonderry sheet 18, with valuation references, (1857)
3 PRONI VAL/2B/5/4A Second valuation, Desertoghill, (1857)

Other references
1 EHS Monitoring of Thatched Buildings, report by Michele McFaul to EHS, 8 June 1994
2 Information supplied by owner’s brother (June 2003)
3 EHS files.

The building was awarded supplementary status in 1979 but because of rarity value it was raised in 1992 to listed status.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

The buildings are situated close to Garvagh and to the south east of the town. The building is virtually unaltered and is a good example of how a vernacular building can be brought back from a state of serious dereliction. There has been great attention to detail in replacing historic elements. Apart from the external features the internal doors and the kitchen fireplace remain in early form. The ceilings are of modern timber in traditional style. The outbuilding has been maintained as original.