Manor House in Townparks, County Donegal

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Attached end-of-terrace five-bay three-storey over basement house, built c. 1785, having single-storey extension attached to the north gable, c. 1920 and returns to the rear (west). Now out of use. Pitched natural slate roof with clay ridge tiles, smooth rendered chimneystacks to either end (north and south), and cast-iron rainwater goods. Raised rendered verges to gable ends. Smooth rendered ruled-and-lined walls with render block-and-start quoins to the corners; pebble-dash finish to north gable end. Square-headed window openings with stone sills and one-over-one pane horned timber sash windows, single pane to basement window. Central square-headed door opening to the front elevation (east) having replacement timber panelled door with glazed overlight. Fronts directly onto street to the north of Main Street, Ballyshannon. Located on sloping site. Doorway reached by flight of stone steps giving access to raised platform surrounded by wrought-iron railings with ball finials over.

A substantial, well-proportioned and handsome townhouse, of late eighteenth-century appearance, that retains its original architectural character and form despite being out of use. Its visual expression is enhanced by the retention of much of its salient fabric, including late nineteenth-century sash windows and natural slate roof. It probably dates to the late-eighteenth-century, a period when Ballyshannon was a prosperous regional market centre with a thriving port, and it may have been originally built by a prosperous local merchant. The raised platform over the basement level to the front is an interesting adaptation of the steep hillside site. Situated in a prominent situation at the north end of Main Street, this landmark building is an important element of the built heritage of Ballyshannon. Sensitively restored, this fine building would make a strong positive contribution to the streetscape of Ballyshannon. The simple wrought-iron railings add to the setting and complete this notable composition.

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 40852017

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Photo credits

Kenneth Allen, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Kenneth Allen, Geograph · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Highland Radio (publisher); individual photographer not stated, highlandradio.com
Maker not stated on source page, kids.britannica.com
Kenneth Allen, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Maker not stated on source page, ru.pinterest.com
Maker not stated on source page, www.flickr.com
Maker not stated on source page, www.stockvault.net

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