7 Fort Road, Ballynameen, Garvagh, Co Londonderry, BT51 5NR

The house at 7 Fort Road, Ballynameen, is situated south-east of Garvagh town, reached by turning south-west about half a mile south of the town centre from the Kilrea approach road. Dating from the early 19th century (1820–1839), it is a vernacular single-storey dwelling with exceptional rarity value, designated Grade B1.

The house faces north-west and is covered by a thatched roof set between cast concrete skews. A red brick corbelled chimney stack rises on the south-west gable, with a further stack positioned above the kitchen hearth. The front wall is finished in roughly plastered stone above a non-projecting black base. The timber ledged, braced and sheeted entrance door is flanked on the left (north-east) by a vertically sliding plain sashed window, and on the right by another similar sash window followed by a triple window. The sash stops are curved and the depths of the sills vary at the leading faces. The south-west gable is blank.

The building extends to the left (north-east) as outbuildings with roughcast wall finish and corrugated iron roof. Two outside timber doors are of ledged, braced and sheeted construction. The outbuilding gable is blank, and the rear, also finished in roughcast, has an opening sealed with concrete block. The dwelling's rear elevation is finished in roughly plastered stone and includes a window matching those at the front. A gabled extension with natural slate roof and plastic rainwater goods is separated from the house by a short link; it has a glazed timber door and modern windows, with a further matching window on the main face of the dwelling beyond.

The property appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1832 but is absent from contemporary valuation records. It was noted in the 1857 valuation, though the confusing annotations on the accompanying map make identification ambiguous. The immediate lessor was Nathaniel Alexander, and the property may have been occupied by any of four tenants: James Campbell, Catherine Smyth, William Dalhome or Bernard Toner, with a rateable value of either 10 shillings or 15 shillings.

The building was granted supplementary listing status in 1979, but its rarity value led to full listing in 1992. A survey in October 1992 revealed the roof in perilous condition with partial collapse. Repair work and re-thatching using flax were undertaken in 1993 by thatcher Gerry Agnew. An extension application was approved in 1995, with further thatching completed in 2001.

The house is virtually unaltered and represents a notable example of vernacular restoration. Historic internal elements survive, including the early form of internal doors and kitchen fireplace. Modern ceiling timbers follow traditional style. The outbuilding has been maintained in its original condition. The restoration has been carried out with careful attention to detail in replacing historic elements, making this a valuable example of successful conservation practice.