Bridge House, 127 Lislasly Road, Aghinlig, Moy, Dungannon, Co Armagh, BT71 6TB

Bridge House is a long, plain two-storey gabled farm house dating to around 1850, located on the east side of Lislasly Road roughly two miles south-east of Moy. The building is constructed of brick throughout, though much of this is now exposed due to loss of harling and render.

The house is notable for its unusual plan form and its retention of Georgian-paned sash windows, though the building has suffered considerable modern alterations and deterioration. The gabled roof is slated with rendered chimneys to each gable and another to the north of centre of the ridge. Cast iron rainwater goods are present but badly dilapidated.

The front elevation faces directly west and is asymmetrical. To the right of centre is the entrance, a relatively recent timber panelled door (circa 1975-80) with rectangular fanlight. To the left of the entrance are three ground-floor windows with flat arches and 6/6 Georgian-paned sash frames with stone cills. The first floor has seven windows in line with the ground-floor openings, except that the far left is a false window. The entire front façade is finished in modern 'salt and pepper' dry dash with a plain rendered base.

The north gable has a full-width single-storey gabled outbuilding attached to its ground floor, harled to north and rear and plain rendered to west, with a timber-sheeted door to the rear. The exposed upper portion of the main house's north gable is harled but has partially deteriorated, revealing the brick construction beneath. At attic level are two small square windows with 3/3 Georgian-paned frames.

The south gable has lost much of its harling, exposing the brickwork. It has a window on the ground floor (now largely covered with corrugated iron) and another on the first floor directly above it. At attic level are two small windows similar to those on the north gable. Abutting the far right of the south gable is a large one-and-a-half storey gabled outbuilding with a largely harled façade and slated roof, featuring a large ground-floor doorway (now without door) and an upper loft doorway with timber-sheeted door on its west gable.

The rear elevation is harled but has deteriorated, revealing brick construction. Roughly at the centre of the ground floor is a low doorway with timber-sheeted door. To its left are two dilapidated windows of the same type as those on the front. To the right is a similar window and a taller doorway with timber-sheeted door and large boarded-up fanlight leading into a 'store' section. Between the two windows to the left of the central doorway is a rough opening into a cellar. The first floor has four windows in line with the ground-floor openings. At ground level, right between the two left-hand windows, there is a rough opening giving access to a cellar.

South of the house and its attached outbuildings is a large, relatively low two-storey gabled outbuilding with harled façade and slated roof. Its north elevation contains a number of window and door openings, all without frames or doors. Attached to the right side of the north elevation was once a single-storey lean-to, of which only the north and west walls now survive. A wrought iron gate (now sheeted in timber) stretches between the remains of the lean-to and the outbuilding attached to the south-west corner of the house.

The building appears wholly brick-constructed, as do most of the outbuildings. The far right edge of the main façade is abutted by the one-and-a-half storey gabled outbuilding mentioned above. A long narrow tarmac-covered forecourt with a low, now dilapidated, recent timber fence stands immediately in front of the house.

Historical Context

The site was shown as vacant on the Ordnance Survey map of 1834-35, with the present house appearing on the revised map of 1857. The 1862 valuation indicates that the building was relatively new at that point (graded 'A', having been built within the previous twenty years, possibly around 1850) and was occupied by Brown Rolleston. Though the length and unusual internal layout of the property might suggest later extensions, the valuation dimensions match those of today, suggesting the house was built to this full size from the outset. The Ordnance Survey map and valuation records show that a greater number of outbuildings originally stood to the south of the house. Post-1864 annual valuation revisions identify these as 'weaving sheds', which were demolished in 1882-83, reducing the rateable value of the ensemble from £24 to £17. Brown Rolleston remained in residence until 1898, after which the house was occupied by Harriet Lonsdale and her relatives until the 1980s.

The building now stands recorded as derelict, with modern render and loss of original detail detracting from its architectural character, though the unusual plan form and Georgian window glazing patterns remain significant features.