Laburnum Cottage, 37 Oroory Hill, Edentiroory, Dromore, Co. Down, BT25 1LE

Laburnum Cottage is a one-and-a-half storey, three-bay lobby entry house of early to mid-19th century origin, located on Oroory Hill near Dromore, Co. Down, approximately four miles from Dromore town off the Dromore/Banbridge road. The building occupies a roadside position facing west, set behind a small garden and low wall.

The house comprises two distinct sections. The larger two-bay portion is thatched, terminating on the south side with a cement skew. The single-bay portion to the north features a natural slate roof and abuts the thatched section, rising over it. The walls are finished in whitened roughcast, though the external finish was incomplete at the time of the original survey. Cast iron rainwater goods serve the slated section.

Two brick chimney stacks rise from the building. A stack with narrow corbelling marks the position of the former kitchen fireplace, whilst a further stack on the north gable served the former parlour fireplace. Each stack carries one pot fitted with a spark arrester.

The entrance is centrally placed on the front elevation and comprises a timber ledged, framed and sheeted door protected by a trelliswork porch. It is flanked on either side by a casement window with three small panes above two larger panes. All openings are dressed with narrow raised surrounds and traditional-depth sills.

The slated section to the north (left) features a large vertically sliding sash window divided into two sections vertically, with small sash stops. A small window has been inserted in the gable of this room. The south gable (right) has a two-pane hinged window at the top.

Historical records show the thatched section was first depicted on the Ordnance Survey map of 1858, matching the size of the present thatched portion. The 1861 valuation records the house as occupied by James Manery with Anne K. Robinson as immediate lessor, with a rateable value of £1. The thatched section is shown on the OS 1st revision map of 1858, alongside a small roadside outbuilding to the south, which no longer survives. The slated section is not depicted on this early map.

The house underwent re-thatching in 1980 by Gerry Agnew using straw, at which time the slate roof was also repaired. Further thatching was carried out in 1992 by Gerry Agnew using flax. A single-bay extension was constructed in 1994, designed to give the appearance of a second cottage joined to the original house. Whilst a number of alterations have taken place over time, the original lobby entry layout remains intact. Interior restoration has been ongoing. The building is now in private ownership and continues in use as a house.