Rash House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single-storey multi-bay mid-nineteenth-century villa, located in extensive grounds on the east side of Beltany Road, Omagh. Rectangular on plan, with canted bays and an L-shaped extension to north.

Roof is hipped with central valley (having roof lantern), natural slate to front, artificial slate to rear; ridges and hips are leaded. Chimneys are twentieth-century replacements, brick to rear and rendered to front. Rainwater goods are half-round cast-iron on corbelled eaves. Walling is roughcast rendered with tool-marked stone quoins. Windows are 2/2 timber sashes with horns in smooth rendered reveals and stone sills (unless otherwise stated).

Principal elevation faces east. There is a semi-circular-arched door opening with moulded stucco surround set to left of centre, forming a symmetrical arrangement with a window to either side and further flanked by a full-height projecting canted bay (all canted bays have a window to each cheek). The door is uPVC, accessed by three shallow stone steps; there is a pair of stone lions set on the lower step. To right of this arrangement is a further window and additional projecting bay to right end which has two round-headed windows to left cheek; east elevation has a window and hardwood glazed door contained in a small canted projection at right (all is heavily sheltered by undergrowth). The projection is abutted by the annexe at right (see later).

The south elevation is three windows wide.

The rear elevation is abutted by the return at left end and has (from left): a window, a canted bay, three windows, and a canted bay to extreme right end.

The north elevation is completely abutted by the return.

The return is detailed as the house, with higher floor level. Roof is artificial slate with angled clay ridge tiles. Windows are 2/2 and 6/6 sashes, and there is a double-leaf metal framed glazed door to left end.

The annexe is two-bay two-storey with pitched artificial slate roof, timber fascia, aluminium rainwater goods and roughcast walling. Ground floor has a timber door with two large glazed panels to right and a round-headed timber casement to left, all contained beneath a canopy supported on aluminium posts; first floor has a pair of glazed timber French doors at either side (that to right is taller and is surmounted by a gablet). The north gable is abutted by a lower outbuilding which is partially fronted by a large timber greenhouse over roughcast plinth. Rear elevation not inspected.

Setting

Abutting the house at north is a group of outbuildings informally arranged about a farmyard (not accessed). The outbuildings are single- and two-storey, rubble stone with brick dressings. The house is set in extensive maturely planted grounds, accessed from south by a long winding drive lined by mature shrubs. The entrance is marked by modern boundary walling and a decorative mild steel gate.

Roof: artificial / natural slate
Walling: Roughcast, stone quoins
Windows: timber
RWG: cast-iron

Historical information

The house first appears on the second edition of the OS map (1854). The first edition shows buildings on the plot but these do not appear to form the basis of the new property. By the third edition of 1906 the house has been significantly extended to the north and is captioned ‘Rash House’. Lewis remarks in 1837 that Rash demesne is the former name of the area then (and now) called Mountjoy Forest. (p.250)

The house is thought, by Rowan, to have been built as the hunting lodge of the Earl of Blessington - however this is not supported by any original source evidence (Rowan, p.430). The current owner states that the house was built by the Spillers and was never the Earl of Blessington's property, although the land on which it was built is likely to have been purchased from the Earl.

The Townland Valuation lists a house and offices, occupied by Thomas Graham and valued at £20, however this cannot be identified as the current or previous building with any certainty. Griffith’s Valuation lists George J Spiller as the owner in fee of the current building, giving dimensions of the house and 3 offices and valuing the whole at £24.10s.

Revisions of 1860 raise the value to £35. In 1881 the owner becomes R N Hawkes Ellis. The plot is split into two at an unknown date prior to 1923 and valued at £11 15s and £23 5s.

The value is raised again in 1934 from £23.5s to £93. The house is listed in valuers’ notes in 1935 as follows, "House, 6 Cottiers Houses, Offices, Land, Plantation and Bog" valued at £93 and reduced to £65. “This is a very old house, originally built and used as two separate “cottages” or shooting lodges…Accommodation consists of reception hall, drawing room, dining room, library, lounge, one bathroom, WC, 6 good bedrooms, 3 servants’ bedrooms, 1 servants’ bathroom, K, 2Sc, 2P. One storey only. Electric light from private dynamo. Water supply pumped. Entire property is in a fair state of repair but has reached the stage when upkeep may be heavy. Good situation in parkland, long way from country road…Buildings agricultural. ‘Cottier’ houses all in fair repair.”

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/34/1 – First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/34/2 – Second Edition OS Map (1854)
3. PRONI OS/6/6/34/3 – Third Edition OS Map (1906)
4. PRONI OS/6/6/34/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map (1936-8)
5. PRONI VAL/1/A/6/34 – Townland Valuation Map
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/630A-B – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
7. PRONI VAL/2/A/6/34 – Griffiths’ Valuation Map
8. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/47B – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/41/33A-G – Annual Revision Records (1860-1923)
10. PRONI VAL/3/D/7/8FF/3 – Valuers RV Binders (1933-57)

Secondary Sources

1. Lewis, Samuel. “A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, Comprising the Several Counties, Cities, Boroughs, Corporate, Market, and Post Towns, Parishes, and Villages, With Historical and Statistical Descriptions; Embellished with Engravings of the Arms of the Cities, Bishopricks, Corporate Towns, and Boroughs; Of the Seals of the Several Municipal Corporations.” London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837.
2. Rowan, Alistair. “North West Ulster: Londonderry, Donegal, Fermanagh, and Tyrone.” Buildings of Ireland Series. Dublin: Penguin Books, 1979.
3. Information from current owner.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Rash House is a substantial single-storey multi-bay house, built c.1850 and located on the east side of Beltany Road, Omagh. The house is distinguished by its extensive plan, its proportions and retains a wealth of original detail. It is a good representative of this type of low, rambling house, of which there are few examples and its history as a hunting lodge adds to its interest. Retaining an extensive and unspoiled setting and farmyard, Rash House is a notable property in the locality.