house

Detached three-bay two-storey vernacular house, built c. 1790, having attached single-storey outbuildings attached to either gable end (north-east and south-west). Possibly originally a single-storey structure with upper floor added, c. 1880. Pitched corrugated-sheeted roof with cast-iron rainwater goods, and with smooth rendered chimneystacks to the gable ends (north-east and south-west). Roughcast rendered walls with raised smooth rendered parallel block quoins to the corners of the front elevation. Square-headed window openings with painted concrete sills and with six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows to ground floor and timber casement windows to over at first floor level. Central square-headed doorway to the front elevation (north-west) having battened timber entrance door. Attached single-storey outbuildings to either side having pitched corrugated-metal roofs, limewashed rubble stone walls, square-headed window openings with replacement fittings, and square-headed doorways with battened timber doors. Set with back to road and approached by private laneway from the north-east with mature trees to north and lawned area to south. Located in the rural countryside to the south of Manorcunningham, and to the north-west of Raphoe.

This charming and relatively intact example of a two-storey vernacular house retains its early form and character, and is an appealing feature in the rural landscape to the south of Manorcunningham. 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 form of this building with squat upper floor suggests that this building was originally single-storey in height with an additional floor added at a subsequent date, probably during the second half of the nineteenth century. This illustrates the evolvement of the vernacular dwelling as more accommodation was required. It is more common for a vernacular building to be extended along its length to provide extra accommodation, and this example that was probably extended upwards is a relatively rare example of its type in Donegal. The relatively large gap between the window openings and the corners of the dwelling suggests that it is comparatively early, perhaps dating to the eighteenth century. Its appearance suggests that it was originally thatched before the upper storey was added. The form of this building having chimneystacks to the gable ends and a central doorway suggests that this building is of the ‘direct entry’ type that is characteristic of the vernacular tradition in north-west Ireland. The attached rubble stone outbuildings to site add considerably to the context and setting, and help to create a long vernacular composition of some rustic and visual appeal that is among the best examples of a vernacular dwelling in the area. This house represents a fine surviving example of a once common building type in the rural Irish countryside, and is a valuable addition to the vernacular heritage of County Donegal.