8 Gortoral Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Single storey, hipped roof, three bay, direct entry type, vernacular house which is harled and whitened and has a slated single story return to the rear. Building faces south west and is located on a slight rise overlooking Gortoral Road and farmland. There is a whitewashed stone barn with corrugated roof perpendicular to the north east. A single storey modern house is located to the south east. It is parallel to and in front of the listed building.

The front elevation has four equally spaced openings Two, one over one pane sashes with thin stone cills to the south east, a sheeted entrance door and a one over one sash matching the others. There is one chimney located on the ridge. It aligns with the second window from the south east. The roof is thatched in wheat straw. It is fixed by the scallop method and is cut back parallel with the ground at the eaves. A single hazel ligger rod runs along the top of the eaves all other fixings are hidden.

South east elevation is blank

To the rear the return projects. This has been recently constructed (c.2002) and forms an L shape with the main building. A small four pane casement remains

The north west elevation is blank.

Historical information

Building indicated on First Edition 1834 Ordnance Survey map. Perpendicular barns to rear (still existing) are also indicated. Apart from the recent extension it has been largely unaltered in the intervening period. The building was listed in 1991 and thatched in the same year in rye straw. Further rethatching became necessary in 1996. This work was also carried out in rye straw. In 2002 work started to renovate the house and provide an extension. By this time the condition of the building was poor with leaks and a hole in the roof and a crack on the rear wall. During the work the south west wall was discovered to be made of mud but had to be rebuilt following partial collapse. The internal cross walls were also rebuilt in concrete block. Strong attempts were made to save the historic roof structure but structural concerns resulted in its replacement.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1A/4/38 OS map, County Fermanagh sheet 38, with valuation
references (1834 / 35-c.38)
2 PRONI VAL/2A/4/38B Revised OS map, County Fermanagh sheet 38, with valuation references (1857-c.62)
3 PRONI VAL/2B/4/8B Second valuation, Kinawley (1862)

Secondary sources
Current owners (2002)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

A three bay direct entry type thatched house with hipped roof . Internal plan and character remains and historic external appearance. Historic roof structure replaced. A regional example of a type of building once common but now rare.