Liffock House, (a.k.a Hezlett House), Liffock, Coleraine, Co Londonderry, BT51 4TW

Liffock House (also known as Hezlett House) is a one-and-a-half storey thatched house located near Castlerock in County Londonderry, set behind a low stone wall on a prominent site a short distance from the main Coleraine to Limavady coast road, approximately five miles from Coleraine.

Dendrochronological investigation by the Palaeoecology Department of Queen's University, Belfast has dated the felling of timber used in the original construction to around 1690, confirming its 17th-century origin. The house shows English ancestry in its design, though the use of scarfed crucks rather than continuous-bladed crucks suggests the craftsmen may have been influenced by local conditions. The quality of the original detailing and the efforts made to conserve the house, together with its historical development, establish it as a building of outstanding interest.

The structure originally consisted of gable walls enclosing five cruck trusses, forming a building of six bays. The spaces between the crucks are infilled with rubble stone construction with a core of sand and earth. The walls exhibit a batter, with bases wider than the tops. The roof is thatched between parapet gables, each rising to a chimneystack, with three further stacks along the ridgeline. All chimneys have corbelled tops with a roughcast finish matching the main walls. The eaves show a slight rise to accommodate the fanlight over the main entrance, and three rows of scallops are exposed at the ridge.

The front elevation is pierced by eight openings. From left to right these comprise: a 6/6 vertically sliding sashed window, a timber double diagonally sheeted door with three-pane fanlight, a 6/6 vertically sliding sashed window, a tripartite 2/2, 6/6, 2/2 vertically sliding sashed window, a further tripartite 2/2, 6/6, 2/2 vertically sliding sashed window, a timber double diagonally sheeted door with radial fanlight positioned below the raising of the eaves, a tripartite 2/2, 6/6, 2/2 vertically sliding sashed window, and a 6/6 sashed window. At upper level, the south gable contains a 2/2 vertically sliding window with sashes divided into two vertically. The north gable has a 2x2 top hung window without a sill at upper level, with a 6/6 vertically sliding window lighting the ground floor beneath it.

The rear elevation, accessed through enclosed garden and yard areas, shows varied fenestration. Starting from the south, there is a small vertically sliding window with sashes divided into two vertically, followed by a 3/6 vertically sliding window, a pair of plain sashed windows, and a 3x3 casement. A further window with single vertical division of the sashes faces into a yard area. All windows are provided with curved sash stops and traditional-depth sills.

The Georgian-style windows and the fanlight over the main entrance are later insertions, probably dating from the early 19th century. Following the marriage of Isaac Hezlett to Jane Swan of Bannbrook House in 1823, an addition was made to the south end of the house to accommodate Isaac's mother and sisters. The walls of this addition are not as thick as the original structure. The fenestration of the northern part has had similar glazing patterns inserted in recent times.

The house is believed to have been built either as a clergyman's residence or converted from an earlier farmhouse for that purpose. It served as the rectory for the Archdeacon of Derry, Reverend Roger Fford, from 1693 to 1719 and for four of his successors until 1761. It was subsequently purchased by the local farmer Isaac Hezlett, whose descendants remained there for over two centuries. The property was acquired by the National Trust in 1976.

During restoration work carried out in 1982–83, which included restoration of the oak cruck trusses, repairs to chimneys, and re-thatching by Gerry Agnew, it was discovered that no thatch had ever been removed throughout the building's 300-year history; fresh layers had simply been added as needed. At one end of the house, the thatch reached a depth of seven feet, and it was calculated that the crucks had been bearing approximately 40 tonnes of weight. Following a fire in 1987, further restoration was required, with as much of the remaining structure being re-used as possible, though some replication was necessary. The building was re-thatched in 2000. The house is noted in the first valuation of around 1833 and that of 1856, though neither valuation provided dimensions nor indicated the property's considerable age.

The house and boundary walling are listed. It now serves as a gallery and museum.