9 Drumderg Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single storey, direct entry thatched house. The house is approached by means of a lane passing a group of farm buildings situated about a quarter of a mile along a secondary road that leads from the Ballyconnel/Derrylin road in a north-easterly direction to join the Belturbet/Derrylin road. Travelling northwards the distance to Derrylin is just over four miles.

The view of the dwelling is framed by an elaborate entrance screen leading to the forecourt. It comprises wing walls with copings and six large square pillars, with cappings, the pair towards the road being of reduced height. Walling extends either side of the forecourt. That on the west side is contiguous with the house making use of the front wall and of a square capless pillar to hang a hoop iron gate.

The house faces north and is roughcast and whitened with a thatched roof between cement skews. There are two roughcast corbelled chimneystacks without pots. One rises above the position of the kitchen hearth and the other serves the parlour fireplace.

A windbreak porch under an extension of the thatch roof covering is flanked to the left (east) by one and to the right (west) by three windows. The window to the left and the first two to the right are vertically sliding with the sashes divided into two vertically. The end window to the right is inset within the doorway of the former dairy and is a 3 over 3 vertically sliding sash. The frames are provided with sash stops and the sills are of traditional depths at the leading edges. Each gable contains a vertically sliding window at high level with sashes divided into two vertically.

The porch with sheeted entrance door is provided with sill blocks.

The gabled extension at the rear has a wall finish similar to the main house. The roof is covered with natural slate and the rainwater goods are of aluminium. The soil and vent pipe is of cast iron. The windows have been modelled on those in the remainder of the building and are complete with sash stops and deep sills.

At the west side of the house adjacent to the former dairy the spindle of a horse walk remains in position. Other parts are in store.

Historical information

A building appears to be shown on this site on the OS map of 1834 / 35, but not recorded in the first valuation of c.1835. It is included in the second valuation of 1862, with Edward and John Donohoe listed as the occupants (as a tenants ‘at will’), the Earl of Erne the lessor. One assumes that both were sharing the house as the fraction ‘½’ and the rateable value £1-10-0 is written beside each of their names.

When surveyed in 1991 the roof was revealed to be in poor condition. The house was renovated and the roof replaced in 1994.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1A/4/41 OS map, County Fermanagh sheet 41, with valuation
references (1834 / 35-c.38)
2 PRONI VAL/2A/4/41 Revised OS map, County Fermanagh sheet 41, with valuation references (1857-c.62)
3 PRONI VAL/2B/4/9 Second valuation, Tomregan (1862)

Secondary sources
1 EHS Report by Michele McFaul to EHS as part of the Monitoring of Thatched Buildings (1994)
2 Information supplied by the owner (2003)

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

Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

The house has been restored to a high standard and the extension is acceptable both in design and in use of materials. The incorporation of the dairy within the house has provided additional accommodation and parts of the horse walk remain as a reminder of its operation. The site is relatively spacious and is enhanced by the entrance screen.
It was accepted that it was necessary to replace the roof timbers but above this a traditional construction, including scraws, has been used.