Mourneview,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A detached two storey three-bay house, built c.1900, located on the west side of Melmount Road, just south of Strabane town. The house is rectangular on plan with large single storey extensions (c.1990) to front and side, kitchen extension (c.1970) to rear. The side extension links to a two storey outbuilding at south.

Roof is pitched natural slate with replacement brick chimneystacks to gables. Rainwater goods are half-round aluminium. Walling is painted wetdash with contrasting plinth. Windows are timber top-hung casements with painted concrete sills.

Principal elevation faces west and is symmetrical with modern flat-roofed sunroom extension (of little interest) to left and central bays at ground floor.

South gable has a window to first floor and a door to ground floor, accessed via a modern porch which is contained within the modern side extension (of little interest).

Rear elevation is centrally abutted by a kitchen extension, and has window to ground floor left and to each bay at first floor.

North gable has a window at first floor.

The house is set back from the road, screened by trees with a garden to front (east) and farmyard to rear (west). The garden is enclosed by a painted wetdash boundary wall, and a grassed drive is accessed by timber gates from Melmount Road. A wrought-iron gate leads to the farmyard at rear. To the south is a two-storey L-shaped outbuilding with pitched corrugated asbestos roof and random rubble stone walls (lime rendered to rear and to W elevation). Openings are brick dressed and louvred; doors are timber sheeted. To the west is a single storey range with pitched asbestos roof, lime rendered rubble stone walls, timber sheeted doors and timber casement windows.

Roof: Pitched natural slate
Walling: Painted wetdash
Windows: Timber casement
RWG: Half-round aluminium

Historical information

The first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1832-3 shows buildings on the site, configured roughly as they are today, with buildings to the north and west of the site of the present house. These appear to have survived as outbuildings. There is a structure shown roughly on the site of the present house but it appears to be much smaller, and seems unlikely to have been a dwelling. The second edition of 1855 shows a somewhat larger structure on the site of the present house. By the third edition (1905), the present house appears, uncaptioned, with projections to the east and west and on the fourth edition (1951) it is shown, captioned ‘Mourne View’.

Valuation records suggest that structures on the site have undergone at least two phases of rebuilding. The Townland Valuation (1828-40) records the property as occupied by William Hayes. It is a dwelling and three outbuildings for which dimensions are given. The initial entries are made in 1833 but during the lifetime of the fieldbook the dwelling house has been rebuilt and its value raised from £1.5s.5½d to £5. Dimensions indicate that the former one-storey dwelling has been raised or rebuilt to give a two-storey building. Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) raises the value further to £6. There are no increases in valuation in Annual Revisions but the house changes hands several times and in 1906, William McCarter becomes the occupier. He becomes the owner in fee in 1907 under land acquisition legislation of the early twentieth century. In the fieldbook covering the period 1893-1907 there is a very faint marginal note appearing to indicate, ‘new ho[use] here’.

However, no change in valuation is made until the First General NI Revaluation of 1933-57, when the value is raised at an unspecified date to £9.10s and £2 for outbuildings. At this time the house comprises a kitchen, scullery, two r[eceptions] and four b[edrooms]. The valuer notes there is ‘no mod con’, but a later, undated, pencil note indicates there is a bath and W.C. Dimensions and a rough plan are given showing a main house, with a porch of wood and glass on the eastern façade and a scullery to the west. The valuer notes, ‘Good rooms on ground floor but kitchen is large with the result that the dining room is very narrow. Low upstairs, no bath or light.’

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/10/1 – First Edition OS Map (1832-3)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/10/2 – Second Edition OS Map (1855)
3. PRONI OS/6/6/10/3 – Third Edition OS Map (1905)
4. PRONI OS/6/6/10/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map (1951)
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/642 – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
6. PRONI VAL/2/A/6/10– Griffiths’ Valuation Map
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/44 – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/42/20A-G – Annual Revision Records (1860-1924)
9. PRONI VAL/3/D/7/10C/1 – First NI General Revaluation: Valuers’ RV Binder (1933-57)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Plainly detailed two-storey three-bay farmhouse, built c.1900 and located to the west side of Melmount Road, just south of Strabane. The house is of little architectural interest as its historic character has been degraded with modern additions amd alterations. The farmyard setting it of some interest and the two storey L-shaped stone built outbuilding, in particular, is a well proportioned and retailed survivor indicating the nineteenth century origins of the site.