Farmyard

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

FARMYARD

Farmyard is situated to immediate N of the domestic yard, but extends further to the W. Its W end of the S boundary is enclosed by a barn and cart house. Its W end is enclosed by a calf house, and has the entrance from the side driveway. It is enclosed to N by a wall with Lean-to and doghouse abutting to centre. To the E end of the lean-to is a gate in the north wall and to its right is a two storey animal house.

BARN
Two storey/ single bay building. Aligned W-E, enclosing the SW end of farmyard. Pitched artificial slate roof with stone bellcote to E gable, bell in place, rung by chain which hangs in the passageway of the abutting carriage house. S elevation contains the entrance door and a small window. W gable is abutted by the cart house. E gable is abutted by the carriage house in domestic yard, and blank above. N elevation is blank but for a t+g sheeted loading door at first floor right of centre.

CART HOUSE
The cart house encloses the SW end of the farmyard and has a pitched roof aligned W-E. It is mostly artificial slated except at extreme W end. Its S wall is blank. Its W gable has a doorway and window opeing at ground floor. Its N wall is abutted to centre by an open lean-to with mono-pitched artificial slate roof. To left end is a large opening and right end is a semi-elliptical headed opening. First floor has a t+g loading door at right end served by steps on calf house (see later). Its E gable is abutted by the barn.

CALF HOUSE
This building enclosed the W end of the farmyard. It is two-storey/ two bay and is aligned N-S. E (front) elevation has a window and t+g sheeted door to each bay at ground floor. Left door is gone. Both windows are blocked by corrugated plastic sheeting. N gable has a small opening in gable apex and is abutted at ground floor by a metal fuel tank on concrete plinth. Its NE corner has a rounded stone bollard protecting it. W (rear) elevation has a modern steel 3/3 window set to left of centre on ground floor. S gable has twelve stone steps leading up to a doorway (door gone) in gable. The last stair forms a platform which links this building to the first floor right doorway of the barn.

LEAN-TO
This building encloses the W end of the N boundary of the farmyard and is aligned W-E. Lean-to natural slate roof supported on three cast-iron posts to open S face. Gable ends and in rubble stone. Right gable is blank. Left one is blank and abutted by a single bay doghouse.

DOG HOUSE
A small structure with lean-to natural slate roof. It has two small openings to ground level (into small kennels) and one to centre above.

ANIMAL HOUSE
Small two-storey outbuilding aligned N-S on N side of farmyard. Its stonework is more finely dressed than that on the other outbuildings. The S gable of this building forms the N boundary of farmyard. To its immediate W (between it and the lean-to) are seven stone steps that rise to opening containing a flat iron-gate. The S gable of outbuilding has a central t+g door accessed by four similar steps. A rubble stone wall continues E at ground floor enclosing the farmyard and containing a doorway into a small enclosed yard to the N (see later). W elevation is blank and ground level rises to its N end. N gable is embanked with earth to lower half of ground floor and has a doorway to first floor centre accessed by five steps up from E; the wall here continues E at ground floor enclosing its small yard. E elevation has a louvred window opening to ground floor left. To right of centre is a doorway and beyond it is a second window opening. At first floor right is a window opening.

PIG STY
A narrow one and half storey/ two bay pigsty aligned N-S enclosing part of the E boundary of the farmyard. It is roofless. The W wall of its N bay fronts the small yard of the animal house (see above), and has a number of doorways. Its W face of the S bay has two enclosed pig pens, each with small doorways. Their enclosing walls are now collapsed. Its N gable is blank. Its E elevation is blank and forms part of the boundary of the vegetable garden. Its S gable has a doorway accessed by a partially collapsed flight of steps. Running S from this gable is a rubble wall linking to the shed. This wall has a pair of large flat iron gates.

SHED
This single storey / single bay structure is set to immediate S of the pigsty and helps enclose the E side of the farmyard. It has a pitched natural slate roof aligned W-E, with a red brick chimney. Its S elevation is blank. W gable has a pair of large t+g sheeted doors in a single opening. N elevation is blank. E gable is blank and forms part of the W boundary of the vegetable garden. The wall then continues to enclose the rest of the farmyard, and has a single iron gate to vegetable garden.

Also in the demesne are three single bay animal sheds to NW of the farmyard, two in stone and one in concrete blockwork, all have pitched natural slate roofs. To N of the farm yard are a timber framed hut and a dutch barn. There is a former gate lodge (much altered) to W drive, and a second to N drive has been demolished

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
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.