Cooleeny House

Detached three-bay two-storey house on L-shaped plan, built c. 1845, having two-bay two-storey return and single-bay two-storey flat-roofed extension surmounted by metal water tank to the rear (southeast). Now out of use. Hipped natural slate roofs with overhanging bracketed, cast-iron rainwater goods and rendered chimneystacks with terracotta chimney pots. Roughcast rendered walls over smooth rendered plinth course. Render failing in places exposing rubble stone construction. Square-headed window openings with two-over-two timber sliding sash windows having tooled limestone sills; six-over-six pane timber sash windows to rear elevation. Central segmental-headed door opening to the northwest elevation with rendered surround having dentil details. Glazed overlight over timber panelled door, flanked to either side by moulded timber pilasters. Squared-headed door opening to flat-roofed extension to rear having round-headed window opening over with margin glazing with coloured glass to margin panes. Five-bay single-storey outbuilding attached to the southeast end of house having pitched natural slate roof and render over yellow brick chimneystacks. Roughcast render walls over coursed rubble limestone masonry walls. Square-headed window openings, some with six-over-six timber sliding sash windows, and with limestone sills. Square-headed door openings with timber battened doors. Five-bay two-storey outbuilding to south having pitched natural slate roof with dormer window and render over brick chimneystack. Coursed rubble limestone masonry walls. Square-headed window openings with brick surrounds having timber fittings and limestone sills. Square-headed door opening with brick surrounds and timber battened door. Segmental-headed carriage arch to gable end having red brick voussoirs. Set back from road in extensive grounds. Located to the east of Longford Town.

Although now out of use, this substantial and well-proportioned two-storey house, of mid nineteenth-century appearance, retains its original form and character. This house is typical of modest nineteenth century houses in Longford, the regular three-bay two-storey façade is enlivened by the central round-headed doorway and the diminishing windows counterbalance the horizontal of the roofline. The house has unusually ornate overhanging eaves with carved timber brackets that lends an air of grandeur to the house. The building retains notable features such as the tooled limestone sills, timber sash windows and the natural slate roofs. The present house replaced a smaller, unnamed, dwelling on this site (Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map 1838), which was aligned along a different axis. The site retains its solidly constructed outbuildings, which retain their original form and features such as the slate roofs. The outbuildings provide further interest and context to this site, which is an integral element of the built heritage of the local area. A number of these outbuildings, including the two-storey outbuilding to the south, predate the house (map information) and were associated with the earlier house to site. Cooleeny (Culleeny) was the residence of a Richard Raymond Esq.(1820 - 1893) in 1881 (Slater’s Directory).