house

Detached three-bay two-storey house, built c. 1860, and now disused. Pitched natural slate roof with projecting eaves course, remains of cast-iron rainwater goods, and with raised rendered coping and rendered red brick chimneystacks to gable ends (north and south). Remains of limewash and lime render over rubble stone and red brick walls. Square-headed window openings with exposed sash boxes, stone sills and having eight-over-eight pane timber sliding sash windows to ground floor and with six-over-three pane timber sliding sash windows at first floor level. Central square-headed doorway having battened timber door and plain overlight. Set back from road in own grounds in the rural countryside to the north of Raphoe. Single-storey outbuilding and possible former house to the north-east having possible bed outshot to the south-east corner, pitched corrugated-metal roof, partially rendered rubble stone walls, and square-headed openings to the west elevation with remains of timber fittings.

Although now disused, this charming and well-proportioned two-storey vernacular house, dating to the mid-nineteenth century, retains its original form and character. Its visual appeal and integrity are enhanced by the retention of salient fabric such as the natural slate roof, timber sliding sash windows and battened timber door. It is robustly constructed in local rubble stone masonry with sections of red brick, and its continued survival despite being disused is indicative of its durable construction. It could be viewed as a vernacular interpretation of a contemporary three-bay two-storey gentleman’s house with central doorway, openings that diminish in scale towards the eaves, and pitched slate roof. It is the best surviving traditional dwelling in the former hamlet of Lisbarrin that feature many dwellings in a long terrace during the first half of the nineteenth century (Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map of 1837). The single-storey rubble stone building to the north-east is probably one of these earlier dwellings in this terrace and has a probable bed outshot to the south-east corner; this building adds to the context and setting of this dwelling. If sensitively restored, this building would make a strongly positive contribution to the rural landscape to the north of Raphoe, and is an addition to the built heritage of the local area.