The Old Rectory

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical one-and-a-half storey / three bay former rectory aligned W-E on the N side of the Cavan Road.

Half-hipped natural slate roof with lead flashing to ridge and an ashlar stone chimney with moulded stone coping (each with four decorative octagonal chimney pots) placed to centre of left and right bays. There is a cast-iron skylight to centre of front pitch. Ogee metal rainwater goods over projecting stone eaves, with a plain stone frieze and cornice beneath. Walls are harled over a slightly advanced base course. Windows are timber segmental-headed 2/2 (horizontally divided) sliding sashes without horns and have painted reveals and stone cills (unless otherwise stated).

Principal elevation faces S. To centre, set in a segmental-headed reveal, is a four-panelled timber door with modern obscurely glazed sidelights and a tripartite transom over. To its right is a small cast-iron lever bell (still in use). To each side bay are two windows, sharing a cill.

Left gable has a 1/1 sliding sash with cast-iron security grille over set to ground floor left. To right is a narrow canted bay with flat felted roof. It has a window to each side (those to outside cheeks are narrower) with a continuous cill over a cement rendered base. Upper floor has two windows to apex. This gable is flush with and extends to include the right cheek of the rear return (which extends from centre of rear pitch). It has a uPVC top-hung casement window to ground floor left. Extending further N is a high boundary wall which contains a t+g sheeted door at extreme right.

Rear elevation is abutted to central and right bay by the full-height return, and to left bay by a single-storey addition (advancing slightly beyond return). Both are detailed as house with a monopitched natural slate roof. The exposed section of the main block is blank. All openings are uPVC (windows mimicking sashes).

N gable of return has a door to extreme left with a window directly to its right. There is a large window to centre and a small window to right. Extreme right end is abutted by a boiler house (see later). The left cheek is abutted at ground floor by the addition; exposed section is blank. (Right cheek is detailed with left gable).

N face of addition has a window to each side (that to right is narrower). It is abutted to extreme left by a boundary wall. Left cheek is blank; right cheek abuts return.

Boiler house abuts the right boundary wall to rear and has a monopitched corrugated metal roof. Walls are as house and openings are t+g sheeted. To extreme left a recessed door provides access to garden at left.

Right gable of main block has two windows to each floor (those to upper floor are closer together).

Outbuilding:
To rear is a domestic yard enclosed by a boundary wall (detailed as house) to each side and a two-storey outbuilding to rear. The outbuilding has a pitched natural slate roof and lime rendered rubble stone walls. Yard-facing (S) elevation has a door opening to centre with a 6/3 sliding sash window to its right. Upper floor has a ventilation slit. Left gable not inspected. Rear elevation has a t+g sheeted door to ground floor right. Above is a loading door. Right gable has a large opening (to garage) at ground floor and two 6/3 sliding sashes to apex.

Setting:
The house is prominently sited on an elevated site at a sweeping bend in the road, overlooking a large lough. It is set within a large sloping garden and accessed by a curved driveway.

Historical information

This building is first cited in the 1872 Valuation revision book as an unoccupied house (but was occupied two years later) - presumably this was the year it was completed. It is explicitly captioned Drummully Rectory on the 1907 OS map.

1. Valuation revision book, 1874 (PRONI VAL 12B/25/4B, p.2).
2. OS 6" map 3rd edition (1907), Co Fermanagh sheet 43 (PRONI OS 6/4/43/3).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An interesting and elegantly proportioned former rectory occupying a prominent elevated site overlooking the lough. It retains much of its original character and many internal and external features of interest (including one functioning lever door-bell!).