Manor Yard, 12 Manor Farm, Loughgall, Armagh, Co Armagh, BT61 8JB

Manor Yard is a former Victorian stable yard complex, now in mixed use as offices and laboratories, which forms an integral part of the demesne of Loughgall Manor House. The buildings date from around 1860, with evidence suggesting construction from the 1850s, possibly with enlargement in the 1860s. A block appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1860, but the present configuration matches the 1908 map, with nothing shown in this location on the 1834 map.

The complex comprises single and two-storey blocks arranged around a courtyard. The main elevation faces north-west and contains the gateway to the yard.

The north-west elevation presents a long single-storey block to the left of the gateway, with a two-storey gabled block to the right. Roofs are finished in Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with a dressed stone chimney and small louvred ventilators to the single-storey block. Walls are limestone rubble with sandstone quoins to the extremities. Cast iron gutters and downpipes are fitted throughout. Windows are segmental-arched timber sliding sashes, vertically hung, in sizes of 3 over 3, 2 over 2, and 3 over 6, with horns, set in rusticated surrounds with segmental-arched heads. The gateway comprises a pair of ornamented and scrolling wrought iron carriage gates set between large square section cut-stone piers with moulded bases, coved cornices and large weathered caps. Screen walls of rubble stonework flank each side, with similar moulded plinths and large weathered copings.

The north-east elevation consists of a two-storey hipped roof block surmounted by a louvred turret, flanked on each side by lower single-storey hipped roof blocks. Roofs are slated as described above, with louvred ventilators to each single-storey wing. The turret features a swept pyramidal copper roof, with a fish-scale slated battered base surmounted by timber louvers and a blind panelled stage with corner posts and shaped brackets supporting the roof. A cut-stone chimney rises from the wall of the two-storey block. Windows to the left-hand wing are mainly later modern small-paned rectangular in chamfered surrounds. The right-hand wing contains segmental-arched window openings with deep reveals housing ventilators and grilles. The two-storey block has segmental-arched timber sliding sashes of 2 over 2 with horns to the first floor, and larger later fixed lights of plate glass to the ground floor. A later single-storey flat-roofed addition with modern casements is set in the angle between the two-storey block and the right-hand wing.

The south-east or rear elevation comprises a long two-storey hipped block to the left, abutted by a single-storey block to the right. The two-storey block has rubble walling with cut-stone dressings, whilst the single-storey block is of roughly squared snecked rubble with cut-stone dressings to openings. Windows are mainly later modern rectangular small-paned fixed lights with top-hung vents and stop-chamfered lintels, though some original timber sliding sash windows are retained. A later modern single-storey flat-roofed addition projects forward from the two-storey block, fitted with a modern metal casement window and with a modern metal fire escape ladder attached.

The south-west elevation is two-storey with openings to the ground floor only. The roof is slated as previously described, with a cut-stone chimney and two large louvred ventilators. Cast iron rainwater goods are fitted. Walling is rubble stonework with cut-stone dressings and quoins. Windows are segmental-arched, mainly small timber bottom-hung 4-pane vents, with one larger timber sash of 2 over 2 with horns, vertically hung.

The courtyard elevations reveal the rear face of the gateway on the north-west side, with piers and screen walls similar to the entrance front. The single-storey block has slated roof as before, with walling partly of rubble masonry with cut-stone dressings to one segmental-arched window, reduced from a former doorway at the right-hand end. The remainder comprises large modern rectangular fixed light windows set between cut-stone piers, with smooth rendered panels below the cills.

The north-east courtyard side comprises a two-storey gabled central block flanked by single-storey wings. Walling and roofing are as described for the exterior elevations. Windows in the wings are segmental-arched timber sliding sashes of 3 over 6 with horns. The left-hand wing has a rectangular timber sheeted door surmounted by a 3-pane fanlight, whilst the right-hand wing has a modern glazed doorscreen in the corresponding position. The central two-storey projecting gable, three bays wide, contains a central rectangular sheeted doorway with 3-pane fanlight to the ground floor, flanked by sashed windows as previously described. The first floor contains a central segmental-arched tongued and grooved sheeted door flanked by small segmental-arched timber sliding sash windows of 2 over 2 with horns.

The south-east courtyard side comprises a single-storey block to the left, abutted by a two-storey block to the right. Roofing and walling are as described for the main entrance front. The single-storey bay has a sheeted doorway and mainly segmental-arched timber sashed windows. The two-storey block has timber sashed windows to both floors and two large segmental-arched coach openings containing ledged timber doors.

The south-west courtyard side is two-storey with an off-centre projecting gable similar to that on the opposite north-east side but without the clock turret. Segmental-arched sash windows flank each side of the gable.

The buildings stand within the Manor House demesne, on the north-east side of the Manor House and linked to it by a side yard. The side yard entrance, facing north-west, comprises a gateway without gates, with a pair of square cut-stone piers with humped moulded caps, flanked on each side by smooth rendered screen walls. The side yard contains modern lean-to roofed smooth rendered sheds against the rear wall and corrugated iron roofed sheds against the south-west wall. Further to the south-west is a small service yard at the side of the Manor House, sharing a common party wall with the side yard of the former stables. Hard surfacing covers the entrance front of the former stable yard, with grassed areas to the rear and north-east side.