Domestic Yard

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

DOMESTIC YARD

Domestic Yard is located immediately to the N of the house returns.

Domestic yard is limestone flagged to SE end which has a lower ground level, with a curving limestone retaining wall with four steps up to rest of yard which is concrete. This yard is wider than the house, and to either side of house, at rear, is a wall with a t+g sheeted door. The E one of these walls is coped with moulded cornice and frieze blocks (as those to front gates, presumably salvaged from a former structure). Yard is accessed from the NW corner. It is enclosed to E by the woodshed and the dairy, to W by a stable block and to N by a carriage house. All outbuildings have pitched natural slate roofs, square limestone rubble walls, lime dashed (partially exposed) with advanced masonry eaves course.

WOOD SHED
This single storey/ single bay structure is aligned W-E with open W-end and t+g head to gable over. E gable is blank and canted on an angle. T+g shuttered window opening on S wall. N wall is blank and abutted by the S gable of the dairy.

DAIRY
This single storey/ two bay building is aligned N-S. Its S gable partially abuts the N wall of the wood shed. Brick chimney on ridge between the two bays. Its S gable has a wide t+g door to centre with an infilled loading door above and similar narrow ventilator to left. Its W wall has a four-paned casement window to N bay and a 6/6 sliding sash window to S bay. N gable has a small t+g sheeted loading door in gable. E elevation has a doorway (door gone), and forms part of the W boundary of the flower garden).

STABLE BLOCK
Two storey/ three bay building aligned N-S. The N bay is a later addition with slightly different roof pitch. Chimney to N gable and plastic rainwater goods. S gable is blank but for a louvred vent at first floor. E elevation has a steel casement with brick reveal at extreme left end, to its right the wall separating yard from front garden abuts. Immediately inside the domestic yard is a pair of t+g sheeted half-doors (modern reproductions) with a loose timber canopy over. Above to first floor (set to their right) is a small t+g sheeted loading door. To right of centre bay is a wide double leaf t+g sheeted door with a cottage latch, and to its left is a 6/6 sliding sash window with horns and granite cill; between them to first floor is a t+g sheeted loading door. To right on N bay has a 6/6 exposed box sliding sash window with slightly higher cill level. W (rear) elevation has vertical vents to ground and first floor levels with a modern metal casement window to right of centre at ground floor.

CARRIAGE HOUSE
Aligned W-E. No chimney. S elevation has an enclosed passage-way at left end leading to the farmyard. To its right is a pair of large modern t+g doors with timber lintel. To centre is a pair of modern top hung sliding t+g sheeted door. To right end is a door and two windows. Door is t+g sheeted, to its right is a 6/6 exposed box sliding sash and beyond this is a small timber casement window.

On ground floor is a small free standing plaque reading “Erected by Lieutenant/ John Brien/ in the year 1800” which was taken from the former schoolhouse. The W gable of this block is abutted by a barn (see later). The E gable of this block has a four-paned casement in gable. Rear (N) elevation fronts the farmyard. It has a round-headed t+g sheeted door at right end serving the passage into the domestic yard. At left end is a small square casement window.

Immediately to the N of the domestic yard is the farmyard (HB12/11/077/E)

Historical information

Monea castle is a plantation structure dating from 1619 and one of the most intact of its type in Ulster. The castle, its garden and tree lined avenue are scheduled monuments (SM FER 191-61). Monea Cottage was erected to replace it after it burnt down in 1750, on the site of the current house.

The Manor of Monea was purchased in 1790 by Mr. J. Brien of Stralongford Co. Tyrone, who had a number of estates in the Province. On his death in 1811 it passed to his fourth son, Captain John Brien (born 1776). It may be that Captain Brien was already resident on the estate as the old school house was erected in 1802 by ‘Lieutenant J. Brien’ (datestone of this building is in domestic yard). Captain John Brien married Charlotte Dawson in 1814 and their son John Dawson Brien was born in 1815 and inherited the estate in 1856. It was he who built two gate lodges c1860, one to W and one to N. In 1869 he became High Sheriff / Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Fermanagh and it is then that he built the current main house. He died in 1881 and his wife Francis (nee Smith) had the local C of I Church (St. Molaise HB12/11/004) rebuilt in his memory. A plaque in the church states, ‘To the Glory of God/ and in affectionate memory of/ John Dawson Brien/ Castletown/ This church was erected/ by his widow/ and his two surviving sisters/ 1890’. Mrs Brien lived on in the house until her death in 1917.

The estate was due to pass to John Henry Loftus Reade, but he had died in Flanders in 1914. It passed onto the Brien family, their two eldest sons had also dies in WW1 the house was inherited by one of their sisters. She lived in the house until her death c1974 when it passed to the present owner. The demesne has not been sold since purchase in 1790.

The 1st edition OS map shows the current demesne, with lodge and main driveway to N. There is no W lodge but a schoolhouse is marked to the N of the driveway. There is no driveway running S to the original Castle. The house here is marked ‘Monea Cottage’ and is cruciform in plan with a range of T planned outbuildings to its N. The flower and vegetable gardens and their buildings are shown to immediate E of the complex.

The 2nd edition OS map shows the W lodge and the main driveway being the W one, the former schoolhouse is no longer labelled, and a national school is shown outside the demesne to the NW. The demesne now has the tree lined driveway to the old castle. The outbuildings to N of house are more numerous and the farm yard more defined.

The current OS map (surveyed 1963) shows the N lodge (now gone) to have been rectangular with a small return on its N end.

Dean states that both lodges were built c1860 and shows plans of the single storey W lodge that has a hipped L-planned roof and gable to return. Small segmental headed windows and a door on its N elevation. This building was much altered and extended c1979.

Following the erection of the main house, its rear returns (part of Monea Cottage) are L planned suggesting that the E and S wings of the cruxiform cottage were demolished for the erection of the present house c1870. The pieces of masonry frieze and cornice which cope the wall of the W drive and the wall of the flower garden may have been removed from the demolished parts of Monea Cottage.

Primary Sources:
1. OS Map 1st Edition 1834, Co Fermanagh, sheet 15.
2. OS Map 2nd Edition 1857, Co Fermanagh, sheet 15.
3. OS Map Sheet 191-12, revised 1968

Secondary Sources:
1. M. Bence-Jones, ‘Country Houses of Ireland’ (London 1978), p.104.
2. A. Rowan, ‘North West Ulster’ (Penguin 1979), p.422.
3. J.A.K. Dean, ‘The Gate lodges of Ulster’ (Belfast. 1994), p.104.
4. Rev. J.B, Leslie ‘Clougher Clergy and Parishes’ (Enniskillen 1929).
5. G. Elliott, ‘Parishes of Devenish and Boho’ (Belfast 1990), p.119.
6. A. Day, ‘OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of Co. Fermanagh II 1834/5 Vol.14 (QUB 1992), p.49.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

W. Northern Ireland/International Interest

Evaluation

Fine range of outbuildings that have intrinsic architectural and historic worth as well as group value with the other listed structures in this important demesne.