Loreto Convent Burial Vault

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A Victorian basalt burial vault with sandstone dressing terraced into the hillside, built c.1890, located south of Brook Street.

Principal (east) elevation has squared rock-faced basalt walling, dressed sandstone quoins and coping. Round-headed fan and door are blocked with concrete breeze blocks, dressed chamfered sandstone architrave and transom. Vault opens onto earthen court flanked to either side by coursed rubble basalt retaining walls, enclosed by painted ornate cast-iron fence and gate. The vault is terraced into a hillside covered in mature trees that obscures any other elevations, it is situated in lawned gardens of Loreto Convent (HB11/11/002) to the west and tennis grounds to northeast.

Roof: Flat masonry concealed in hillside
Walling: Basalt
Windows: None
RWG: None

Historical information

The vault appears captioned ‘Burial Vault’ on the Ordnance Survey Map of 1906. It is also shown on the Ordnance Survey town plan of Omagh (1906). However, it does not appear on the previous OS town plan of 1882. It can therefore be dated to between 1882 and 1906.

References

Primary Sources:

PRONI OS/6/6/35/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1906
PRONI OS/8/40/1/2 – Ordnance Survey Town Plan of Omagh 1882
PRONI OS/8/40/2/3 – Ordnance Survey Town Plan of Omagh 1906

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A Victorian basalt burial vault with sandstone dressing terraced into the hillside, built c.1890. The vault façade with minimal ornamentation displays fine masonry craftsmanship. Although of local interest, vaults such as this are not suitable subjects for listing.