Riverland House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached three-bay three-storey over basement Georgian house, built c.1780, located to the south side of Letfern Road. Rectangular-on-plan with three-storey return to north-east.

Roofs are hipped natural slate over corbelled sandstone eaves course; rendered chimneys with replacement pots. Walls are painted roughcast render; ashlar sandstone to basement. Windows are square-headed timber framed 6/6 sliding sash with sandstone sills; 3/3 sliding sash at second floor.

Principal elevation faces north; central entrance at ground floor consists of square-headed double-leaf timber panelled door with transom light and sidelights surmounted by simple triangular pediment; smooth rendered surround; single window left and right; three windows at first and second floor.

East elevation abutted at right by return; replacement square-headed four-panelled timber entrance door; single window at first floor; west elevation contains timber framed casement window at each floor; exposed section at left contains two windows at each floor; replacement square-headed vertically sheeted timber door with transom light to basement accessed via sandstone steps; tunnel with brick soffit around basement accessed to left and right.

South elevation contains four windows at each floor; exposed basement windows blocked.

West elevation contains two windows at each floor; exposed basement windows blocked.

Setting

Set in farm with courtyard arrangement of outbuildings to rear east; access to farmyard between pair of two-storey L-shaped outbuildings; abutted at west end by single-storey outbuildings; further lean-to extension to south-east and south-west of arrangement. Roofs are hipped natural slate with blue/black ridge tiles; walls are harled and lime-washed; windows are square-headed timber framed casements. Modern farm buildings to east. Access from Letfern Road at north (no longer used) through painted square rubble pillars with painted masonry coping supporting pair of cast-iron gates.

Roof Natural slate
Walling Roughcast
Windows timber
RWG Cast-iron

Historical information

The house is marked on the first OS map of 1833 captioned “Riverland”. “Glebe House” on the same plot is also captioned. On the second OS map of 1854 the property is captioned “Riverland Glebe House” and on the third “Riverland”. The plan of the building does not change but a formal garden is marked on the first and second maps.

In the Townland Valuation Records of 1828-1840 the property is listed as “Dwelling House, kitchen and offices” occupied by Rev D Burrows and valued at £50 0s 0d. In Griffith’s Valuation, Rev. John B. Chapman holds the property in fee (as incumbent) The value is amended to £30 0s 0d in 1884 and falls regularly in value until 1917 when it is valued at £9 5s 0d. The house is vacant and the lessor is John F Buchanan during the Annual revision of 1897-1911. During the last Annual Revision Charles Patterson holds the house and land in fee.

The house receives a cursory mention in the OS Memoirs; “Gentlemen’s seats:…Reverend Robert Burrowes, Riverland.” (p.111) The house is of mid- to late-eighteenth century appearance, with later return.

Primary Sources:

1. PRONI OS/6/6/43/1-4 – Ordnance Survey Maps 1833, 1854, 1906
2. PRONI VAL/1/A/6/43 – Townland Valuation Map
3. PRONI VAL/1/B/630 A-B – Townland Valuation Records 1828-40
4. PRONI VAL/2/A/6/43 B-C – Griffith’s Valuation Maps
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/32B – Griffith’s Valuation 1856-64
6. PRONI VAL/12/D/6/43A-E – Annual Revision Maps
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/41/39A-F – Annual Revision Records 1860-1929
8. Day, A and McWilliams, P, eds. ‘OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Tyrone I, 1821, 1823, 1833-36, Vol 5’ Institute of Irish Studies, 19900

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A detached three-bay three-storey over basement Georgian house, built c.1780, located to the south side of Letfern Road. The house is plainly detailed and has a somewhat austere character; openings are widely spaced with little ornamentation. Internally, the house displays a plan form atypical to the usual Georgian layout. Although degraded, its farm yard setting survives and this is a substantial example of a good quality minor gentleman's residence of a relatively early date and surviving on original condition.