House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A mid-19th century two-storey (+ attic)/ three-bay house with rear return. Aligned NE-SW and found roughly to the centre of Drumswords Td.

Pitched artificial slate roof with brick chimney to each gable. Advanced eaves board supports metal rainwater goods.

Principal elevation faces SE. Walls are pebble-dashed with smooth cement-rendered basecourse and vertical bands to each end. All openings have cement-rendered reveals. Central doorcase is set within a shallow semi-elliptical headed opening and consists of two painted timber columns supporting a plainly detailed entablature with spider-web fanlight over. Modern timber four-panelled door. Flanking doorcase is a 2/2 sliding sash window with horns and painted cills. Aligned above are three similarly detailed windows; but narrower. All windows are as this unless otherwise stated. Set above doorcase and below first floor window is a painted keyblock with raised Cross.

Left gable has a window to first floor left and two small attic windows.

Rear elevation is abutted to right of centre by two-storey return (see later). Left bay has a window to each floor. Centre bay has a stairwell window to each floor– that to ground floor is as the others and those above are 1/1 fixed timber with concrete cills. The exposed right bay has a narrow, modern timber casement window.

Return is detailed as house. Its NE elevation has a modern stone clad advanced chimneybreast set to the left; to its right is a landscape timber casement windows to each floor. Its end gable is abutted by a lower outbuilding (of no interest). Its SW elevation has a modern glazed timber door to the left and a timber casement (as before); aligned above to first floor is 2/2 sliding sash window.

Right elevation has two windows to attic level only.

The farmyard to rear has a number of recently refurbished outbuildings, all with rubble stone walls with stepped dressed sandstone quoins and dressings. That to N of house has a pitched corrugated metal roof and has five door openings – all but the extreme left are blocked – the latter is t+g sheeted. To right-end is a segmental-headed arched opening.

To E of house is a two-storey outbuilding with pitched artificial slate roof with skylights, external stone stair and t+g sheeted door and openings.

Historical information

First shown on the 1859 OS 6” map, indicating a mid-19th century construction date. HMBB survey card states that built 1839, but no source cited.

Primary sources:
1. OS map, 2nd edition 1859, Co Fermanagh sheet 35.
2. OS map, 3rd edition 1906-07, Co Fermanagh sheet 35.
3. HMBB survey card

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A well proportioned house with farmyard to rear. Unfortunately it has recently been refurbished, retaining only the original sashes and fanlight, hence losing much of its original external character. Internally, a few original features remain in situ.