Drumbrean Cottage

Detached three-bay two-storey house, built c.1780, with three-bay single-storey return to middle of rear, and lean-to single-storey structure to west gable. Hipped slate roof, with paired red brick chimneystacks with decorative cast-iron pots, tall red brick stack to return, and cast-iron rainwater goods. Rendered coursed rubble stone walls, with cut-stone quoins. Square-headed diminishing window openings, with original six-over-three pane timber sliding sash windows to first floor, and six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows to ground floor, with rendered reveals, stone sills and evidence of gauged-brick window surrounds where render has come away. Square-headed window opening to return with two-over-two pane timber sliding sash windows. Elliptical-headed main door opening, with original doorcase, to centre of south elevation, having cobweb fanlight and geometrical-glazed sidelights, set in stone door surround of engaged fluted round-plan columns on engaged square-plan plinth, with plain moulded entablature. Original raised-and-fielded panelled door of eight panels, and cast-iron doorbell to wall. Range of single and two-storey stable and farm buildings forming courtyard to rear, with pitched slated roofs, coursed rubble limestone walls, segmental-headed openings with brick surrounds to timber battened doors doors and timber-framed windows. Double-leaf wrought-iron vehicular gate to east of house with square-plan piers, decorative wrought-iron pedestrian gate to south of house flanked by cut-stone square-plan piers. Main approach from south-west with wrought-iron gates on square-plan piers, with curved wall to either side. Located north of Ballybay to Newbliss road to north of Drumkeen Presbyterian Church and Dundalk to Enniskillen Branch of Ulster Railway.

This attractive house retains its original late eighteenth-century character and elegant Georgian proportions. Griffiths Valuation of 1858 lists the occupant as Rev. Richard Ross, suggesting that this may have been the manse house of local Drumkeen Presbyterian church in the mid-nineteenth century. Many original features survive including six-over-three and six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows, and the diminishing openings create the impression of height. This, combined with an authentic eighteenth-century doorcase with fanlight and sidelights, creates an appealing facade. The attractive farm buildings to the north illustrate that this a productive farm until the late twentieth century. Drumbrean Cottage faces south to the Ballybay to Newbliss road in close proximity to Doupy Mills to the south-west, and Drumkeen Presbyterian Church and the Dundalk to Enniskillen Branch of the Ulster Railway to the south.