Mount Prospect House, 59 Magheramore Road, Dungiven, Co.Londonderry

Mount Prospect House is a sensitively reconstructed farmhouse originally built in the late 19th century, situated at the end of a short curving tree-lined laneway on Magheramore Road in Dungiven. The house presents a pleasing composition combining provincial Georgian style with practical farm vernacular architecture.

The building is part two-storey and part single-storey, three bays wide with gables and gable chimneys. The roof is finished in Bangor blue slate with matching red coloured ridge tiles. Walls are harled and painted white with smooth rendered plinths painted black.

The entrance façade is well-proportioned with solid wall dominant over void. The centrepiece comprises a central four-panelled door with three-pane sidelights on either side and a three-pane fanlight over with radial astragals. On either side of the door are 16-pane sliding sash windows with exposed sash boxes and low painted stone cills with square heads. At first-floor level are three nine-pane sliding sash windows with exposed sash boxes positioned directly above the openings below. The doorway is slightly off centre. A continuous corbel course forms the eaves, occurring approximately 250 millimetres above window head level. Half-round metal guttering is supported on simple metal brackets with one downpipe.

Harled chimneys rise at each gable, with an additional matching chimney on the ridge, not quite centred but axially positioned. The east gable features two 12-pane sliding sash windows closely spaced and not centred on the gable. Above these are two further 12-pane sliding sash windows of slightly unequal height and not quite centred over the windows below. Barges are formed by overhang of slates.

To the south is a lean-to extension without windows on the gable. The south or rear elevation is single-storey with three four-pane sliding sash windows irregularly spaced. The Bangor blue slated roof sweeps in a continuous plane to cover the lean-to extension. Six Velux windows provide additional daylight to rear rooms and kitchen, with a pair of sliding sashes serving the kitchen window.

A two-storey side extension to the west gable has a single door with four-light casement windows on either side at ground level. At first floor are four-pane sliding sash windows with exposed sash boxes. Walls are harled and partially covered with creeper. The roof is finished in natural blue slates with no chimney; its ridge does not align with the main house, leaving the east gable partly exposed.

From the west gable of the side extension, a further two-storey section of barn is being adapted to living accommodation, with the barn continuing beyond. The ridge line steps up, creating an overall pleasing composition.

In front of the house is a small front garden enclosed by random rubble garden walls topped with iron railing. Two square harled gate piers frame a pedestrian wrought-iron gate. A further harled garden wall fronts the side extension, with a wrought-iron pedestrian gate and single circular gate pier. Beyond the house lies a three-sided enclosed yard.

The entrance door and sidelights are notably similar to doorways in Dungiven town. Windows have been replaced with sensitivity to retain the former character, though the original entrance door was retained. Improvement works in recent decades included a lean-to rear extension carried out in the 1980s with Northern Ireland Housing Executive grant assistance. Roof timbers and slates were renewed and walls replastered. Architects for these works were Smyth and McMurty of Limavady.

Historical records show that on the 1830 Ordnance Survey map a house is marked in the approximate position of the present building. The townland of Magheramore was held by Stewart Bruce in the early 19th century. The Buchanan family occupied the townland in the 18th century; two brothers migrated from Scotland and the name appears in Ordnance Survey Memoirs for the parish. The present house probably dates from circa 1870, replacing an earlier dwelling on the site. The juxtaposition of extensions adds to the charm of the dwelling, and the surrounding garden walls with small enclosed garden are much in sympathy with the farm complex.