Lismacsheela House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical two-storey / three-bay early 19thC house with narrow advanced and gabled central bay. It is aligned SW-NE and accessed by a long winding driveway at the S of Lismacsheela Townland.

Pitched natural slate roof with painted cement-rendered chimneys with chamfered stone copings on party walls between each bay. Overhanging eaves with vertically timber-sheeted soffits support plastic ogee rainwater goods. Downpipe to either side of facade. Walls are painted and lined cement-rendered over a contrasting base course. All windows are paired uPVC top-hung casements with masonry mullion. They are set in stepped cement rendered reveals with flush splayed cills (unless otherwise stated).

Principal elevation faces SE. Central bay contains the entrance which consists of a modern six-panel timber door (top centre panel glazed with etched glass) with narrow obscurely glazed transom over. It is accessed by three concrete steps and is set in a similar reveal to windows. Aligned above, set into gable apex, is a window. Left and right bays each have a window set into a projecting bay with monopitched natural slate roof (eaves are as house). Left and right cheeks of both bays are blank.

Left and right gables each have a central window to each floor.

Rear elevation is almost completely abutted by two side-by-side returns set perpendicular to house and forming a double-pile profile. That to right is original; that to left is a recent extension. The narrow exposed section of main block (at extreme right) is blank.

Both returns have pitched natural slate roofs and are detailed as house; that to right has a chimney (as before) to centre. Right return has a modern glazed and timber entrance door to left and a window, detailed as façade, to first floor centre. Left cheek abuts the left return. Right cheek has a central window to ground floor.

All windows to left return are uPVC top-hung casements. End gable has a narrow window to left and a large window to right at each floor (all with plain reveals). Left cheek has a uPVC door to left and a window to right at each floor, all set in reveals as those to main block. Right cheek abuts right return.

Setting:
The house is reached by a long winding lane set in open farmland and accessed by a pair of curved wet-dashed walls with brick copings and square-in-section piers with pyramidal caps to either end. Opposite this entrance is a small gate-lodge (see HB12/01/045) The house has a large farmyard to rear and is enclosed by small maturely planted garden with hedged boundary to front and sides.

Historical information

A building is shown here on the 1834 OS 6” map. Its £8.6s.0d valuation in 1837 suggests a substantial two-storey house, probably the present one.

Primary sources:
1. OS map, 1st edition 1834, Co Fermanagh 36.
2. First valuation revision book, 1837 (PRONI: VAL 1B/46, p.28).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An attractive early 19thC house with sympathetic extension to rear, occupying an elevated but sheltered site. Many original features remain and the house retains most of its external and internal character. Opposite the main entrance is a gatehouse (HB12/01/045).