Edenvale House,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a detached two-storey farmhouse, built c.1840. It is long and rectangular in plan with a single-storey lean-to return to the rear West, and a further single-storey lean-to to the North gable. The rear of the building faces onto a yard, which is enclosed by an assortment of outbuildings. Access to the yard is via a gate to the North. There is a two-storey outbuilding with a metal roof directly opposite, to the West. There is a further single-storey outbuilding abutting this to the South. To the Northwest lies a single-storey modern shed, located adjacent to the gate entrance to the rear yard.

External walls are painted / whitewashed render with rubble stone beneath, exposed in areas. The roof is pitched with natural slate. There are three brick chimneys to the ridgeline of the roof. The two chimneys to the gable have carved stone capping, and decorative octagonal double chimney pots. Rainwater goods are cast iron.

The front East elevation faces onto the Slate Quarry Road. It is four windows in width. There is a square-headed door to the ground floor. It has a painted timber sheeted door with a door knocker and door knob. It is surmounted by a five-light overlight, and is set on a cut-stone step.
Windows to the first bay on the left are replacement timber casement to ground and first floor. These windows may have been replaced c. 1970. They are set on concrete sills.
Remaining windows to the ground floor are 6/6 timber sliding sash. The first floor windows are 3/6 timber sliding sash. All sliding sash windows are set on painted cut-stone sills.

The side North elevation is largely obscured by a single-storey lean-to to the ground floor. There is a square-headed window opening to the first floor. There is a brick chimney to the apex of the gable.

The side South elevation is gable-ended with no openings. There is a chimney to the apex of the gable.

The rear West elevation has an assortment of timber sliding sash and replacement timber casement windows. The single-storey lean-to is located at the centre.

Returns:

Rear lean-to:
The North elevation has a square-headed door with a simple painted timber sheeted door.
The West elevation has a timber casement window. The lean-to roof has natural slate.

North lean-to:
The lean-to is obscured by the yard entrance pillars and overgrown foliage. No openings were visible. The roof is
natural slate.

Outbuildings:

Two-storey barn:
The two-storey barn is located to the rear of the house facing the rear yard.
The East elevation has an assortment of openings. The ground floor is composed of a square-headed timber sheeted door to the left, an elliptical-headed coach arch, a further square-headed timber sheeted door, an external stair to the right and a panelled timber door beyond to the right. All door openings are square-headed. The coach arch is open, and has brick voussoirs over. It has a simple wrought-iron gate. The stair is of block and cut-stone construction, and leads to a doorway at first floor. The door is square-headed with a painted timber sheeted door.
The South elevation is directly abutting the single-storey outbuilding.
The North and West elevations were not visible.
External walls are painted / whitewashed render and rubble. The roof is pitched with corrugated metal to the left, and slated to the right.

Single-storey outbuilding:
The single-storey out-building is abutting the barn to the South. It has an elliptical-headed coach arch to the right. The roof is pitched with natural slate.

Single-storey modern shed:
There is a further shed located to the North of the rear yard, located adjacent to the road entrance. It is directly abutting the two-storey barn. The shed has square-headed uPVC windows. Walls are skimmed render. There is a chimney to the North. The roof is pitched with corrugated metal.

Setting:
The house is located on the West side of Slate Quarry Road within the townland of Edendoit. There is a Corn Mill located immediately opposite.

The house is set behind a low hedge and rubble stone wall adjacent to Slate Quarry Road. There is a gate to the front entrance with slim cut-stone pillars. Pillars are chamfered to edges with a pyramidal shaped top. The rear yard is accessed via a short laneway from Slate Quarry Road leading from the North. The wall is bound by a painted stone wall with rounded pillars to the yard. Pillars have smooth rounded capping and a galvanized metal gate.

The mill to the opposite side of the road is ruinous and has all but disappeared.

Historical information

A building is shown on site on the OS map of 1833-34, but not recorded in the valuation of 1835. The property as we see it today probably dates from the 1840s, and is marked on revised OS map of 1853-57 as ‘Edenvale House’. In the second valuation of 1858 a James Crowthers is noted as the occupant, and the rateable value (which appears to have included a corn mill to the east), £11. This rose to £15 in 1862 following the addition of a ‘new office’, but was reduced to £13 in 1886, as there was ‘very little doing with mill’.

James Crowthers acquired the freehold in 1880. In 1899 the house was leased to a William Brown, with a member of the Brown family still holding it in 1957.

References - Primary sources

1 PRONI VAL/1B/623 First valuation, Desertcreat parish, 1834-c.1838
2 PRONI VAL/1A/6/37 OS map, Co. Tyrone sheet 37, with valuation
references, 1833-34(-c.38)
3 PRONI VAL/2A/6/37 OS map, Co. Tyrone sheet 37, with valuation references, 1853-57(-58)
4 PRONI VAL/2B/6/6/24B Second valuation, Desertcreat parish, 1858
5 PRONI VAL/12B/37/17A Annual valuation revision book, The Rock ED, 1860-63
6 PRONI VAL/12B/37/17B Annual valuation revision book, The Rock ED, 1864-80
7 PRONI VAL/12B/37/17C Annual valuation revision book, The Rock ED, 1881
8 PRONI VAL/12B/37/17D Annual valuation revision book, The Rock ED, 1882-99
9 PRONI VAL/12B/37/17E Annual valuation revision book, The Rock ED, 1899-1913
10 PRONI VAL/12B/37/17F Annual valuation revision book, The Rock ED, 1913-29
11 PRONI VAL/12B/37/19A Annual valuation revision book, Slate Quarry ED, 1923-29 [the property transferred to this ED in 1923]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a good example of an early Nineteenth century vernacular farmhouse and yard. Its survival is unusual and, although there are minor alterations to some window openings, it appears to be in original condition with proportions and detailing well preserved. The surviving outbuildings are substantially intact and add much to the group value and the original setting.

If further investigation reveals an unaltered interior, the grading will be uplifted.