Farmyard

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A former enclosed farmyard consisting of four blocks, all two storey with the exception of that to S, which is double pile single storey, now housing Crom Castle Visitors Centre and Holiday Cottages.

All roofs are pitched natural slate with stone chimneys. Advanced stone eaves support half-round metal rainwater goods. Walls are irregularly coursed rubble stone. Windows are timber sliding sashes (unless otherwise stated) with flush stone cills and with various dressings (mostly dressed stone). Doors are modern t+g sheeted.

1a) W Block (W Face):
The W block comprises four holiday cottages. All are two bays wide with the exception of that to N which is three. All have gabled open windbreak porches with pitched natural slate roofs, decorative bargeboards and tall pointed finial supported on cast concrete side walls with modern t+g-sheeted tympanum. The cottages are described from N to S.

Cottage One (Orchard Cottage): There is a stone chimney placed at party wall between each bay. NW corner has a two-stage angle buttress. Central door accessed by two stone steps. Left and right bays each have a canted bay with hipped natural slate roof and cement-rendered walls. Each face has a window (that to front face is wider). Aligned above ground floor openings are three windows, diminished in height.
N elevation has a door (containing a glazed panel and without porch) to centre. It has a plain transom over and is set within a stepped cement-rendered reveal. Above (aligned slightly to right) is an infilled arrow loop. To left of door is a window in similar reveal. To right of door is a wider window set in a stone reveal. First floor has a window to each side (that to right is wider).

Cottage Two (Aspen Cottage):
One chimney placed to right of centre. Left bay has door placed at right (to centre of façade) accessed by three concrete and one stone step. To its left is a paired side-hung casement window with lattice glazing. Right bay has a similar window. First floor has two windows (not aligned), detailed as those below but diminished in height.

Cottage Three (Woodford Cottage):
One chimney placed to left of centre. Right bay has door placed at left (to centre of façade) accessed by five cement steps with modern metal railings. To its left is a side-hung casement window with lattice glazing. Above to first floor (aligned to left) is a 4x4 fixed pane window. Left bay has a 2/2 sliding sash window to each floor.

Cottage Four (Erne View):
One chimney set to right of centre on front pitch. Walls have an advanced chamfered rubble stone base course and dressed stone quoins. Right bay is much longer. The door is set at the right hand side of the left bay (the porch has overhanging canopy only, without side walls) and is accessed by eight concrete steps with a rubble stone base. To its left is a window with brick jambs and jack arch. To its right are two windows. First floor has three equally spaced windows.

S elevation has a window to either side (that to left is a pair and has central timber mullion). First floor has a window to centre. This elevation is abutted to extreme right end by the lower S stable block (see later).

1b) W Block (Yard-facing elevation)
Erne View: Almost completely abutted by the double-pile S block. The exposed right bay has a door to left and window to right.

Woodford Cottage: Each floor has a window to either side (not aligned). That to first floor left is landscape. Between first floor windows is a small t+g sheeted loading door.

Aspen Cottage: There is a window to each floor. Right bay first floor and left bay ground floor windows are diminished in height. Each ground floor window is contained within one section of an arcade comprising four infilled segmental-headed arches (that to extreme right is contained within the adjoining N cottage).

Orchard Cottage: At extreme left is a t+g-sheeted door contained within the right-hand coach arch (see above). Central bay has a window to each floor, placed at right. The right bay is abutted by the N block.

2a) N Block (N Elevation)
N elevation has two chimneys, one placed to right of centre and one placed centre of right-hand side. There are six equally spaced two-stage buttresses, including an angle buttress at either end. Placed at centre is a full height Tudor-headed coach arch set within a dressed stone reveal. It has a plastered and painted soffit, a modern brick pavier threshold and is accessed through a large pair of cast-iron gates with spear-headed finials and a criss-cross central bar. To left of the coach arch, set between each buttress, is an arrow loop opening. The section to right of the coach arch comprises the rear elevation of an additional pair of cottages at left and the N elevation of Orchard Cottage at right (see above). They are separated by a buttress. The rear elevation of the fifth cottage has three windows to ground floor. That to centre is lower and smaller and has an arrow loop above. First floor has two windows (not aligned).

2b) N Block (Yard-Facing Elevation)
The section to the left of the coach arch has been divided into two cottages. That to left has a t+g sheeted door at extreme left and a window at each floor to right. That to right has a door with windbreak porch (detailed as those to W elevation of W block) placed to centre and a window to either side. Aligned above are three equally spaced windows. The section to the right of the coach arch has four openings to ground floor. All are 3x2 metal framed casement windows with the exception of that to left which is a door. First floor has three openings; a louvred window opening at left and centre, and a t+g sheeted loading door to right.

3a) E Block (E Elevation):
There are no chimneys to this elevation. It is abutted to right end by a two-storey / three bay cottage (see later). Left end has a segmental-headed arch with voussoired head infilled with modern glazed entrance door. At centre is a t+g-sheeted door with stone lintel. First floor contains two infilled window openings: one aligned slightly to right of entrance door, one below eaves level to left of centre. Between ground floor openings (set slightly above door head level) is a series of stone corbels.

S gable has a window to ground floor.

The cottage has a hipped natural slate roof with a chimney placed at party wall between each bay. All details are as before but without eaves course. Left bay has a door with windbreak porch to right with a window to its immediate left. Central bay has a window. Right bay has a pair of windows with central timber mullion. Both these windows are set within infilled segmental-headed arches and have concrete cills. First floor has three equally spaced windows. S elevation has a small brick-infilled window opening set to centre between each floor. N elevation is blank.

3b) E Block (Yard-Facing Elevation):
There is a stone chimney to centre at front of W pitch. To centre is a large pair of t+g-sheeted doors with concrete lintel. To either side are three windows. Those to left are metal-framed casements with flush stone cills and lintels (with the exception of that to right which has a concrete lintel). Those to right are modern timber top-hung casements, all of which were previously door openings (now infilled beneath cill level). Between central window and that to right is an infilled window opening. First floor has six equally spaced openings: (from left) a louvred window opening; a loading door; two louvred openings; a loading door; a louvred opening. All have stone lintels and (flush) cills.

4a) S Block (S Elevation):
The S block is double pile. Due to the topography it is two-storey to S and single-storey to N. S elevation has dressed stepped sandstone quoins and eight equally spaced openings to each floor. Those to ground floor are large voussoired semi-circular headed arched openings each with a timber gate. Those to first floor are 2/2 sliding sashes with tooled stepped sandstone reveals and flush concrete cills. The W and E elevations are blank (that to W is wet-dashed)

4b) S Block (Yard-Facing Elevation):
There is a pair of doors to either end and to centre. Between each door is a pair of timber side-hung casements set into an infilled door opening.

To W of the farmyard is a large shed with pitched corrugated metal roof and irregular coursed stone walls. The E elevation has five full height openings (those from centre to right are infilled with concrete blocks. Left gable has a series of irregularly spaced ventilation openings. Rear elevation is blank. Right gable has a large semi-circular headed opening with voussoired head and a small square opening to apex.

Historical information

Edward Blore was responsible for the design of the farmyard, erected in the period 1835-38 for John Crichton, third Earl of Erne. A square farmyard block with central courtyard is hand drawn on the PRONI copy of the 1834 OS 6” map. . It is described in the 1834 first Valuation book as “Steward’s house, farmyard and offices”. Between 1847 and 1851, additions were made in order to create a model farm. New buildings were added on the east and south side of the yard and included a new cow house, calf house, piggery, steaming house (for animal food preparation) and a steam engine. The engine drove a sawmill, bone crusher, threshing mill, and pumped slurry. A large hay barn was also erected to the east.

Primary sources:
1. OS 6” map 1st edition, 1834, Co Fermanagh sheet 39 (PRONI OS 6/4/39/1).
2. First Valuation book, 1834 (PRONI VAL 1B/411A, p.155).

Secondary sources:
1. Terence Reeves-Smyth, Crom Castle Demesne (National Trust, 1990).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
E. Spatial Organisation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A pleasantly detailed former farmyard including labourer’s cottages, beautifully situated on Crom Estate and directly overlooking Lough Erne. Despite extensive refurbishment the complex retains much of its external character and charm and forms an integral part of the Estate group.

General comments

This record was previously numbered HB12/02/015.