house

Semi-detached three-bay single-storey vernacular house, built c.1770, having attached single-storey outbuilding to the north end and outbuilding adjoining to the south end of the west-facing elevation. Pitched corrugated-iron roof, with thatch surviving underneath, having single chimneystack to the south end and cast-iron rainwater goods. Rubble limestone walls with render over. Pronounced buttress/base batter to south gable end, facing road. Square-headed window openings with stone sills and one-over-one pane timber sliding sash windows. Byre/outbuilding attached to north end having rubble limestone walls, pitched corrugated-iron roof and rubble limestone walls with square-headed window openings having cast-iron windows. House set back from road at a right angle with rubble limestone and rendered walls to road-frontage. Main entrance to west side of house having rubble limestone piers (on square-plan) and modern wrought-iron gates. House located adjacent to the east of Scurlockstown Cross Road.

An appealing small-scale vernacular house of picturesque appearance, which retains its early character and form. This house was originally thatched and is aligned at a right angle to the road, a common feature of the vernacular architecture of the midlands. The buttressing/base batter to the south elevation suggests that this structure may be of considerable antiquity. The projecting timber beam to the south end of the east elevation also suggests that this structure has an intact original hearth. This appealing and well-maintained house is an attractive addition to the vernacular architecture of Westmeath and merits some closer inspection.