64 Cornacully Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Single storey, three bay, direct entry, thatched, wet dash rendered and painted, vernacular house with gables. Perpendicular extension in natural slate at southern gable. Thatched barn to rear forms a traditional farmyard street between it and the house. Building is aligned approximately north south. It is located parallel and near to the end of Cornacully Road in a remote moorland location. The house is at a slightly lower level than the road and is separated from it by a short informal garden of approximately four metres depth. It is an appropriate
setting of great character.

The front, east elevation faces away from the farmyard onto a small area paved in stone flags. Ground and eaves level slope downwards to the southern gable. There are three, two over two sash windows, one to each structural bay. Each window is slightly lower than its neighbour because of the slope. A painted sheeted door with stone upstands to the base of the frame is to the south of the central bay. Two chimneys on the ridge rise from the internal walls The southern bay of the building is narrower than the other two by approximately two metres.

Thatch on the roof at the time of the survey was in rye straw. Scallop fixings hidden except at the ridge and gables. Three lines of hazel rods (liggers) were fixed along the ridge with stitching along the gable. Sand cement parging at gables and chimneys all painted white as the main building. Thatch sits up from gable by approximately 100mm. Thatch is cut parallel to the slope of the roof at the eaves.

Extension to blank south gable of house in matching render and similar eaves height has a much lower ridge level and is set back from the corner of the facade. This connects to the main bulk of the extension, which is perpendicular to the house and projects four metres in front of the façade. Flush slate detail to gable and corbelled eaves. Single painted casement window below. South side of extension has two casement windows. The west elevation of the extension has a similar arrangement of a central casement window below a flush gable. This elevation aligns with the west façade of the historic part of the house. As on the east, the link to the extension is set back from the corner of the historic building.

On the west side of the historic part of the house the slope of ground level is more pronounced, This drops quite steeply to a projecting porch in the central bay. This porch is located opposite the entrance to the east and projects half a metre. The thatched roof is dressed down over this following the slope of the roof. The door below matches that to the east and also has stone jambs to the base. There is only one window to this side: a one over one sash in the centre of the southern bay. The detail of the thatch is as described on the east elevation

The northern gable of the building is blank.

The barn aligning to the south is similarly painted though it is not rendered in wet dash. Its gable is parallel to the northern gable of the house and approximates to one bay of its length. A central sheeted door gives access. There is a small window (300x300mm approx) to the rear of the building and one on the northern gable (metal casement). The building is thatched as the house. The pattern of the underlying stone can be discerned though the layers of paint and whitewash. This is rubble stone squared to rough blocks with more carefully cut quoin stones to the corners.

Historical information

Building first indicated on Ordnance Survey of 1908 and considered to date from late nineteenth century. This map shows a narrower extension to the barn which extended its length to that of the main house. This remained until the 1970’s when removed to give access to new farmyard structures. It was a lower structure laterally roofed in tin. Another barn is indicated parallel to the front of the house and slightly to the south. This was replaced at the time of the current renovation.

Building listed in 1988. Work was carried out in 1989 to rethatch the building and barn. Work HB grant aided. The roof was repaired over the north bay at that time and completely thatched from the scraws upwards in this area. The barn was also substantially repaired and thatched. Thatch described as ‘rushes’ ie water reed from the nearby Lough Erne. In 1990 the house was surveyed and though it had a similar plan to the present arrangement, the central bay was subdivided by a stud partition. This provided a lobby for the two entrances which were separated by a second stud wall . The extension to the south was designed by Mc Nulty Architectural Design of Belcoo and approved with Historic Buildings comments incorporated in 1990. Work was carried out with HB and Northern Ireland Housing Executive support in 1994. The historic building was thatched in rye straw to the rear (west elevation) and the barn. The interior was replastered and damp proofed. A new tongue and grove ceiling was erected. A sash window was inserted on the rear of the southern bay. The front of the dwelling was thatched in rye in 1995. In 2003 following this survey, the building was thatched again in rye. All work since 1989 has been fixed with hazel scollops.

References- Primary sources
Ordnance Survey Second Edition 1856 Co Fermanagh Sheet 20/1
Griffith’s Valuation 1858
Ordnance Survey Second Edition 1908 revision Co Fermanagh Sheet 20/1
EHS First Survey record card
EHS listed building file and slide record.

Secondary sources
Current owners (2001)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
W. Northern Ireland/International Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

A well preserved thatched building of the late nineteenth century with historic roof structure, and relatively intact plan form, which is complemented by thatched outbuildings and a sensitive modern extension. Of interest for its scarcity, attractiveness, and importance as an example of this period. The preservation of the historic farm yard and setting provides additional interest.