Survey Data
Reg No
40904654
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural
Original Use
House
In Use As
House
Date
1800 - 1840
Coordinates
222672, 417207
Date Recorded
12/11/2013
Date Updated
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Description
Detached four-bay single-storey vernacular house, built c. 1820. Pitched corrugated-metal roof with three rendered chimneystacks. Rendered walls. Square-headed window openings with one-over-one pane timber sliding sash windows; enlarged window opening to the north end of the front elevation (east) having timber casement window. Square-headed doorway (offset to the south side of centre) having battened timber door and plain overlight. Set back from road in own grounds to the south of Ramelton having garden to front (east) and complex of single-storey outbuildings to the rear (west). Located a short distance to the west of Lough Swilly.
Appraisal
This appealing and relatively intact example of a vernacular house retains much of its early form and character, and is an appealing feature in the scenic rural landscape to the south of Ramelton. Its integrity is enhanced by the retention of much of its salient fabric including timber sliding sash windows. Modest in scale, it exhibits the simple and functional form of vernacular building in Ireland. The corrugated-metal roof to the dwelling indicates that this building was formerly thatched. The form of this building, having chimneystacks to the gable ends and a central doorway to the original building, suggests that this building is of the ‘direct entry’ type that is characteristic of the vernacular tradition in north-west Ireland. The location of the chimneystacks also indicates that it was extended to the north by a bay at some stage. The irregular spacing of the openings creates a pleasing vernacular appearance that is typical of such dwellings. This building appears to have formed the southern half of a pair of vernacular buildings c. 1905 (Ordnance Survey twenty-five inch map) and formed part of a terrace of dwellings in c. 1837 (Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map). This building is a modest addition to the built heritage of the local area, and is one of the few remaining relatively intact vernacular dwellings in the area.