House & Outbuildings

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached five-bay two-storey house, dated 1712, located to the south side of Desert Road. Rectangular-on-plan with attached outbuilding to south; single-storey lean-to to west.

Roof is pitched natural slate with blue/black clay ridge tiles and raised sandstone verges over corbelled sandstone eaves; lime-rendered red brick chimneys. Walls are lime rendered over rubble construction. Windows are square-headed timber-framed sliding sash (variation of 6/6, 2/2 and 1/1 arrangement); all have sandstone sills.

Principal elevation faces north; from left, bays one, two and four each contain two windows at each floor; bay three contains, at left, vertically-sheeted timber entrance door in painted stepped sandstone surround surmounted by painted datestone inscribed ‘McA 1712’ flanked at right by single window; two windows at first floor; bay five contains vertically-sheeted timber entrance door with transom light surmounted by single window at first floor.

East gable is blank.

South elevation is abutted at centre by attached two-storey outbuilding. Exposed section at right contains, at ground floor, vertically-sheeted timber entrance door flanked at right by single window; three windows at first floor (that to right is timber casement). Exposed section at left not accessible.

West gable is blank; abutted at ground floor by lean-to.

Setting

Set within farm to rear of modern house; to south-east, enclosed court consists of attached outbuilding at west (detailed as house) containing vertically-sheeted timber stable doors at ground floor; external stone stair to loading doors at first floor; further one-and-a-half-storey roughcast farm buildings enclose yard to south and east. Original access from road at north through wrought-iron gate supported by pair of circular lime-rendered pillars.

Roof Natural slate
Walling Lime-rendered
Windows Timber
RWG Cast-iron

Historical information

The building bears a datestone of 1712. It is present on the first edition OS map of 1833, first appearing without an extension to the rear. On each subsequent edition the rear extension increases in size. The property is captioned ‘Roscavey’ on the 1854 map and subsequent editions.

The Townland Valuation records a ‘house and office’ on the site, occupied by John Galbraith Esq. and valued at £7.11s, Griffith’s Valuation of 1858 records the property as unoccupied although leased from John Galbraith and valued at £8. The OS Memoirs of this period note that Roscavey, ‘the family seat of the Galbraiths and now the residence of James Galbraith Esquire, is surrounded with trees and is well situated but the house is fast falling into ruin and the whole place is very much neglected’. (p.25)

Valuation Revisions record a decrease in valuation from £8 to £5 in 1877 as the property is ‘dilapidated’. In 1882 Robert McClery is the occupier whilst Thomas Dickie is the lessor, and in 1887 the occupier changes to James Mulligan.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/43/1-4 - Ordnance Survey Maps (1833, 1854, 1906, 1936-8)
2. PRONI VAL/1/A/6/43 – Townland Valuation Map (1820-1840)
3. PRONI VAL/1/B/627 - Townland Valuation (1820-1840)
4. PRONI VAL/2/A/6/43 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1858)
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/29 - Griffith’s Valuation (1858)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/41/14A-F - Valuation Revisions (1860-1929)

Secondary Sources

1. Day, A. and P. McWilliams, eds. “OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Tyrone II, 1825, 1833-5, 1840, Vol. 20.” Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1990.

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

Evaluation

A five-bay two-storey house, dated 1712, located to the south side of Desert Road. The house exhibits the 18th century device of blocking stones on the gables at the eaves. The linear arrangement of the main dwelling consists of four rooms at each floor centred around stairhall. The layout remains unchanged and detailing largely survives although they are somewhat later in style. There are remains of a wall hearth to the east end indicating the position of the kitchen originally. The contiguous outbuildings add to the presence of the whole and this is a fine example of a robust, perhaps naïve, gentleman's residence of an early date.

General comments

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