Farmhill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An late 18thC two-storey (+basement/attic), three-bay farmhouse with central lunette window in attic gable and bowed stairwell to rear. Aligned NE-SW with curved single-storey outbuildings to each gable sweeping to rear. House is accessed by a long curving drive, meeting the hose at its right gable. To NE is a modern replacement bungalow.

Pitched natural slate roof with a rendered brick chimney to each gable. Advanced eaves course carries half-round metal rainwater goods.

Principal elevation faces SE. Walls are wet-dashed with stucco-banded quoins and a smooth rendered platband below ground floor windows. To centre is a later entrance porch (now overgrown with vegetation); pitched natural slate roof with overhanging eaves with exposed rafter tails. To front face is a timber door with margin-paned top-panels and 2x2 sidelights and 3x2 glazed cheeks. Over is a triangular transom with coloured margins. Door is accessed by a number of stone steps, which rise as an arch; each cheek has a small window. Basement has a metal-framed 2/2 window to each end bay.

Flanking porch, each end bay has two 2/2 vertically divided sliding sash windows with stone cill. To first floor, set between these openings is a similar window; diminished in height. Above, to attic, is a central gable lunette window with cill.

Left and right gables are identical. Each is abutted by a single-storey outbuilding (see later) forming a wing and providing a particularly formal plan. The exposed section has two 4/2 sliding sash windows to attic.

Rear elevation has an exposed basement level, and central bowed stairwell rising to eaves level (with natural slate roof with finial). Right and left bays have a window to each floor; those to basement are metal-framed casements, ground floor are 6/6 sliding sashes and those to first floor are diminished in height 6/3 sashes – all with stone cills. The bowed stairwell has three openings, a t+g sheeted door with upper glazed pane to basement, a glazed six-panelled door to ground floor and a semicircular-headed opening (now boarded over) to second floor. To rear is a small farmyard, delightfully enclosed by the curved wings.

Outbuildings are single-storey with pitched roofs; that to the right gable is corrugated-metal and the other is natural slate. Walls are lime-rendered and all openings are t+g sheeted. That to the right gable has a door to SE face, the rear NW face has a shallow segmental-headed opening to centre, and to its right is a door. The end gable has a door. The outbuilding to the left gable has two doors, a loading door to centre and a modern metal roller door. Its end gable is abutted by a lower outbuilding, with lean-to corrugated-metal roof.

Historical information

Farm Hill is explicitly cited and shown in its present form on the 1834 OS 6" map and subsequent editions. According to the first Valuation book of 1836, it belonged to Charles Crow and measured 45ft x 18ft x 18ft (excluding basement). It was valued at £15.15s.0d, a relatively high figure in those days. It was occupied by James Armstrong in the early 1860s. It is probably of late 18th century date.

Primary sources:
1. OS 6" map 1st edition (1834), Co Fermanagh sheet 43 (PRONI OS 6/4/43/1).
2. First Valuation, Drummully Parish, 1836 (PRONI VAL 1B/410B, p.76)
3. OS 6" map 2nd edition (1857), Co Fermanagh sheet 43 (PRONI OS 6/4/43/2).
4. Griffith Valuation, Drummully Parish, Clones Union, p.32 (1862).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An impressive late 18thC farmhouse with central bowed stairwell to rear and curved outbuildings to each gable sweeping to rear. Internally it retains much of its original fabric, including decorative plasterwork and doorcases.