The Old Manse

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three-bay two-storey former manse, built c.1900 and located on the west side of Moyle Road, Newtownstewart. The house is square on plan with full height canted bays to principal north and east elevations.

The roof is hipped around central valley, natural slate with terracotta ridge and hip tiles and rolled lead hips to canted bays. There are four yellow brick chimneystacks with exaggerated corniced and corbelled out caps and decorative black brick banding. Rainwater goods are uPVC on overhanging eaves supported on profiled timber brackets. Walling is roughcast rendered over a smooth cement rendered plinth with Roman-cement V-channelled quoins, string course and architrave. Windows are 1/1 timber sashes with horns, square-headed to ground and round-headed to first floor, all paired (with the exception of those to canted bays) and with moulded surrounds and projecting plain sills.

Principal elevation faces north and has canted bay at right. The central square-headed entrance opening has a double-leaf timber door with plain semi-circular overlight, each leaf with two bolection moulded panels and having original brass knocker, knob and letterbox. It is accessed by two cast-concrete platform steps and has a moulded surround.

East (garden) elevation is detailed as the principal elevation but with canted bay to left and the central square-headed former garden entrance now infilled by an obscurely glazed window.

Rear elevation left and central bays are abutted at ground floor by a lean-to timber conservatory over roughcast plinth wall, surmounted by two single windows (plain reveals to this elevation). Right bay has a paired window to each floor.

The west elevation has three equally spaced pairs of windows to each floor (two are uPVC replacements).

To rear is a rectangular two-storey block formerly in use as a coach house, now converted to an annexe and with modern window and door insertions. A pair of wrought-iron gates hung on octagonal cast-iron piers leads to a paved yard enclosed between house and annexe, with modern lean-to garages to west side. The house is otherwise set witin mature landscaped gardens planted with several specimen trees and shrubs and with ornamental pond. It is bounded to the road by hedging and accessed at north east via a gravel drive marked by an alcoved entrance consisting of a pair of cast-iron gates and matching curved rails over a plinth wall, all flanked by four square painted rendered piers with round-headed panels, corniced caps and cusped gableted finials with trefoil detail. There is a secondary wrought-iron field gate on slender octagonal cast-iron piers to south west.

Roof: Hipped natural slate, terracotta ridge and hip tiles
Walling: Roughcast render
Windows: Round- and square-headed 1/1 timber sashes
RWG: Plastic

Historical information

The house first appears on the third edition Ordnance Survey map of 1905 captioned ‘Manse’ and was the home of ministers serving the Presbyterian congregation at Newtownstewart (the church is HB10/04/014).

It is first listed in valuation records in 1903 as ‘The Manse’ occupied by Rev. D Morton and leased from the ‘Trustees of Presbyterian Church’. It is valued initially at £25.15s but this is reduced on appeal to £23 in 1904. The accompanying valuers’ note book gives a plan and dimensions for the house and an outbuilding [coach house], both composed of rubble masonry and slated. A further outbuilding to the north west is wooden with a corrugated iron roof. The valuer comments in 1903, “Very well built and well designed house, possessing every modern convenience. Hot and cold, bath and W.C. and linen closet. (Three receptions and five bedrooms)”.
In 1934 the occupier continues to be Rev. David Morton. The valuation is increased to £32 and then to £35. The house comprises, three receptions, kitchen, scullery, p[antry?], three bedrooms, a boxroom, one servant’s bedroom, bathroom with hot and cold water and a W.C. The valuer comments, “House very good. Water supply from town and has a very small pressure and is inadequate. It is supplemented by rainwater collection from roof. No gas or electric lighting.” A plan and dimensions are given. In 1935 the valuation is reduced to £30 on appeal. Electric light has just been fitted.

The congregational history comments that, “The ministry of David Morton (lic. Strabane) who was ordained on 13th March 1890 was noteworthy, not only for its length – he died on 24th December 1950 – but also that during it the first and second congregations united on 18th February 1903. It was also largely Mr Morton’s work to have the new church built in 1910.” (p.691) It was around the time of the reunification of the two congregations that the new manse was built.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/17/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1905)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/17/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1936)
3. PRONI VAL/12/A/6/51 – Valuers’ Note Book (1900-1904)
4. PRONI VAL/12B/42/27A-H – Valuation Revisions (1860-1929)
5. PRONI VAL/3/D/7/10F/2 – Valuers’ RV Binder (1933-57)

Secondary Sources

1. “A History of Congregations in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 1610-1982” authorised by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Belfast: Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland, 1982

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

The Old Manse is a handsome two-storey three-bay house, dating from c.1900 and set in well maintained mature gardens to the west side of Moyle Road, Newtownstewart. The house is characterised by good proportions, with understated ornamentation derived from the balance of round- and square-headed windows, bracketted eaves and particularly ornate yellow brick chimneystacks. The ornate gate screen and 3 other sets of cast and wrought iron gates add to the former manse's importance. The interior is also well preserved, with original layout and many features intact. It is of social interest to the local community and has group value with the listed Newtownstewart Presbyterian Church HB10.04.014 it was built to serve .