Outbuildings, 704 Glenshane Road, Feeny, Co Londonderry, BT47 4TG

An 18th-century stone-built farm outbuilding, formerly a two-storey barn to the rear of Drumcovit House, successfully converted to three holiday apartments in 1998 by architect Caroline Dickson whilst retaining the character of the original structure.

The northern elevation, which overlooks the former farmyard, extends for nine bays and is constructed of random rubble stonework with redbrick trim to ground-floor openings. Many original door and window openings of the former outbuildings are preserved as far as possible to maintain the former character and ambience. Some ground-floor openings retain timber beam heads, whilst first-floor opening reveals are in stone. The openings are infilled with a mixture of hardwood and softwood framed doors and windows with clear finish. The roof is slated in natural slates with a clay ridge, fitted with two small chimney stacks and two velux windows. Metal half-round gutters and round downpipes serve the building. The west gable is entirely of stone with neither door nor window. The south elevation, which overlooks a gravel terrace, follows a similar treatment to the north side, though most openings here are new. The gravel terrace is separated from the former kitchen garden by a low random rubble stone wall, with another wall at right angles to the apartments separating them from the south elevation of the main house.

The farmyard contains a lean-to sheep or pig outhouses laid out in an L-plan with enclosing walls and a separate cobbled yard. These structures have slated roofs, stone walls, and supporting piers constructed of a mixture of brick and wooden posts. A pair of decorative gates provides access from the back laneway. Within the stone wall between the farmyard and sheep yard lies the remains of a metal bearing for a mill wheel shaft; formerly a mill wheel occupied the farmyard side. Water was supplied to the wheel via a flume which crossed the back lane as a bridge. The mill race flowed along the opposite side of the back lane from an elongated mill pond situated further up the lane, with the overflow running down a sheugh in the laneway. Remains of the race, pond, and sluice survive. The farm buildings had secondary laneway access from Feeny Road, though access from the house avenue was possible through a wrought iron gate and stone piers at the north gable of the house.

The converted barn is shown on the 1830 Ordnance Survey map and is likely contemporary with the older part of Drumcovit House. The mill pond and sheep house do not appear on the 1830 map but are evident on the 1905 Ordnance Survey revision, suggesting they date from the 1870s. The mill pond, race, and mill wheel are now defunct, and the flume bridge has been removed.