Garvary

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single-storey direct entry house with thatched roof between raised parapet gables.

The house is sited behind a low wall, enclosing a small forecourt, beside a secondary road that leaves the Derrylin/Belturbet road at Teemore to join the Derrylin/Ballyconnel road at Gortineddan. The distance from Teemore travelling in a south-westerly direction is about three-quarters of a mile. Because of the configuration of the road the house faces south.

The enclosing wall with slightly projecting round top parapet is pierced by an entrance consisting of square pillars, with stepped caps, and a gate of acceptable form. The gate is positioned almost centrally in relation to the house but not to its entrance. A further wall of similar construction defines the boundary of the lane that gives access to the farmyard at the left (west) side of the house. In this case the pillar at the roadside is similar to those in front of the house but at the rear the pillar is of increased size with a pyramidal cap. The field gate at this point is of mild steel construction.

All wall finishes including those of the house are of whitened roughcast.

There are two rows of scollops at the ridge and the eaves are cut square without exposed scollops. A corbelled chimneystack rises on the right hand (east) gable and there is a further stack above the position of the kitchen hearth. Both support single pots with spark arresters.

The entrance with timber framed and sheeted door is protected by a square-jambed windbreak porch roofed by means of a concrete slab. There are three black japanned strap hinges and a lever handle of similar material.

To the left (west) of the entrance there are two windows and to the right (east) there is one window. They are of the vertically sliding variety with plain sashes, large curved sash stops and sills of traditional depths.

At the right hand (east) gable of the house there is a store with lean-to corrugated iron roof, timber sheeted door with black japanned hinges and a fixed window of two horizontal panes at the side of which the sill is narrow. The roof slopes to the rear.
The west gable of the main house is blank.

At the rear there are two windows similar to those on the front elevation, but with narrow sills, on either side of a timber framed and sheeted door.

Historical information

A building is 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 Thomas and Patrick Maguire listed as the occupants, (tenants ‘at will’), and Robert Collins the lessor. One assumes that both were sharing the house as the fraction ‘½’ and the rateable value £1 is written beside each of their names.

When surveyed in 1994 the house was reported to have been derelict for probably a decade. A major renovation scheme was carried out in 1998 using wheat straw, (described as ‘long straw style’ for the roof covering). The work was carried out by Jimmy Feeney of Oldcastle, Co. Meath, and during the work the opportunity was taken to improve the front and rear access.

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/4/41A 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 Monitoring of Thatched Buildings, report by Michele McFaul to EHS, 23 April 1994
2 Information supplied by the owner ( 2003)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A single-storey direct entry house with thatched roof between raised parapet gables.
The works implemented in 1998 have assured the survival of the house for some time. While the finishes employ modern materials they are traditional in form and character, and the internal layout is unchanged. Considerable effort has been made to reproduce a traditional roof structure. The house occupies a prominent position at the roadside and the traditional appearance of the exterior is enhanced by the arrangement of the walling.