Strathfoyle, Derry Road, Strabane, Co Tyrone BT82 8DX

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached multi-bay two-storey rendered house, built c.1880. Set within its own landscaped grounds on the west side of Derry Road accessed via a curved avenue opening onto Derry Road to the southeast. Square-on-plan, facing east with a full-height three-sided canted bay to the front and rear elevations and a further pair of full-height bays to the south side elevation. Lower two-bay two-storey return to the north side elevation and small enclosed yard to the north having single and two-storey outbuildings.

Hipped natural slate roof with rolled lead ridges and hips (central arrangement not visible) and four tall rendered chimneystacks with clay pots. Canted bays have hipped roofs with flat tops enclosed by decorative cast-iron cresting. Moulded cast-iron guttering to deep dentilled eaves and round cast-iron downpipes. Painted ruled-and-lined rendered walling to first floor, band-rusticated to ground floor below a continuous moulded string course; decorative rusticated rendered quoins and projecting plinth course; panelled aprons to canted bays at first floor. Square-headed window openings with 1/1 timber sash windows having moulded rendered sills, plain surrounds to all bays, moulded lugged and kneed surrounds to all other openings.

Principal elevation is four openings wide, incuding a full-height canted bay to right of centre and a shallow projecting bay to left end with double window. Round-headed principal entrance is located to left of centre, and comprises double-leaf timber prismatic-panelled door with lintel cornice and plain semi-circular fanlight; opening flanked by pair of flat-panelled render pilasters and foliate console brackets to an egg-and-dart springer moulding, moulded archivolt and diamond-faced keystone. Door opens onto two concrete steps enclosed by pair of low flanking walls terminated in pair of panelled stone piers and modern urns. There is a brass push-bell inset to right.

Symmetrical south side elevation is two windows wide contained in a pair of full-height three-sided canted bays, detailed as per front elevation.

West elevation is three openings wide with central full-height three-sided canted bay, detailed as per above, with a single-storey shallow projecting bay to the right. The canted bay has a hardwood glazed door inserted with a flight of concrete steps and low concrete wall.

Rear elevation is three openings wide, abutted by lower two-bay two-storey return to the right and a single-storey entrance porch to the centre. A single round-headed window opening to the centre (at half-landing level) has a single-pane timber sash window with coloured margin lights. Replacement hardwood panelled door to porch and replacement timber casement windows to return.

To the north side elevation is a range of single-storey and two-storey rendered outbuildings with pitched natural slate roofs, square-headed window openings with redbrick lintels and vertically-sheeted timber doors and shutters. To the north elevation of the two-storey outbuilding is a disused lane with a pair of decorative cast-iron gates attached to the outbuilding and a further wrought-iron gate to the road.

Curved gravel avenue opens onto Derry Road to the southeast via pair of timber gates supported on pair of sandstone ashlar piers with curved rendered walls also terminating in pair of stone piers, all having profiled capstones.

Roof Hipped natural slate with rolled lead ridges and hips
Walling Painted ruled-and-lined render / band-rusticated to ground floor
Windows Timber sash
Rainwater goods Cast-iron

Historical information

The house is first shown on the third edition Ordnance Survey map of 1906, captioned ‘Strathfoyle’.

It is first listed in Annual Revision records in 1884, when it is described as a ‘house, offices and land’ occupied by Robert Smyth and leased from the Duke of Abercorn. The buildings are valued at £46.10s. In 1906 Robert Smyth becomes the owner in fee under land purchase legislation of the early twentieth century. In 1909 he adds a motor shed to the site measuring 18x24½x12 and composed of cemented rubble with a concrete inspection well. The cost is about £45 in addition to materials and it adds £1.10s to the valuation bringing it to £48.

Robert Smyth and Son operated a successful milling business in Canal Street (HB10/12/037) from c.1880. They appear to have continued in business until the 1980s. Cox comments in his history of farming families in the Strabane area, “Oats was the main cereal crop, providing food and bedding for horses and cattle and on occasion barley and wheat might be grown. The surplus grain was sold to merchants or to Smyth’s mill in Strabane”. (Cox, p.62) Robert Smyth became a J.P. in 1884.

By 1918 W.B. Smyth is the owner of the house and in 1920 he improves and remodels stables to the rear of the house bringing the valuation to £60. The valuer comments that the house is a ‘fine residence’. A plan and dimensions are given in the valuer’s notebook.

By 1922 W.B. Smyth has further improved the house by installing an electric light plant. The valuer notes, “A small building costing about £100 has been erected and in it electric light plant installed 2½ HP gas engine (gas from town supply) working only once a week about 6 hours during winter and once in two weeks in summer. The house is well built, modern but large and not in great demand. Contains, on ground floor; three receptions, smoke room, kitchen, scullery and lavatory, first floor; six bedrooms, bathroom and W.C. Good stabling, motor house, coach house &c.” The valuation is consequently raised to £70.

In records dating from 1934 a plan and dimensions are given showing the house, stables, motor house and engine room. The value is raised to £85. A summer house that in previous valuers’ notes is described as having a wooden roof, is now described as thatched. The valuation is appealed in 1935 and the valuer notes, “Oldish house, excellent repair. Well planned. Good light rooms. House has been modernised. Electric light. Lift (electric) from ground to first floor. Excellent bathroom. Offices outside are in good order and there are several loose boxes as owner owns several horses.” The valuation is reduced to £75.

W.B. Smyth was a keen golfer and the first captain of Strabane Golf club on its foundation in 1909. In 1913 he was recommended for a place on the Finance and Business Committee of the Provisional Government that Edward Carson had promised to establish in Ulster if Home Rule were introduced.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/5/3 – Third Edition OS Map (1906)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/5/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map (1951)
3. PRONI VAL/12/A/6/58 – Valuers’ Note Book
4. PRONI VAL/12/A/6/60 – Valuers’ Note Book
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/42/31A-M– Annual Revision Records (1860-1931)
6. PRONI D1414/3 – Document confirming Robert Smyth Esq as a J.P. (1884)
7. PRONI D1414/14 – Letter from R. Dawson Bates to W.B. Smyth (1st September 1913)
8. PRONI VAL/3/D/7/9A/8 – Valuers’ RV Binder (1933-57)
9. Strabane Chronicle “Strabane Golf Club: A Century’s Reflection” (April 16th 2009)

Secondary Sources

1. Cox, M. “Overlooking the River Mourne: Four Centuries of Family Farms in Edymore and Cavanalee in County Tyrone” Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2006

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Multi-bay two-storey stucco-fronted house with typical late Victorian detailing, located on the west side of Derry Road. This large Victorian house is of local historical interest as the house of a local business man. It enjoys a spacious setting but is not of sufficient architectural interest to warrant listing.