The Cottage, 100 Bishops Road, Bennarees, Downhill, Co Londonderry, BT49 0JN

The Cottage is a thatched dwelling dating from the mid-19th century, situated on one of the most spectacular sites in the country. It occupies a position atop a flank of Ben Evenagh mountain near Downhill, County Londonderry, approximately six miles west of Coleraine. The building commands views over Magilligan, the Inishowen peninsula, and the Atlantic Ocean, with the Inner Hebridean island of Islay visible to the north. Access is by a steep winding secondary road known as Bishop's Road, approached from the Coleraine to Limavady main road.

The house faces north-east and comprises whitened stone walls. The roof is thatched between cement skews and underlain by scraws, secured by scollops. The thatch covering has been restored using traditional methods and materials, with repairs carried out in 1986 and 2003 using wheat straw. Three corbel-topped chimneystacks are present: one on each gable and a third serving the kitchen hearth. The south-east gable stack supports one pot, the kitchen hearth stack has two pots, and the north-west chimney has no pots.

The entrance to the house is contained within a projecting porch, gabled and finished with natural slate, protected by a small naturally slated canopy on timber brackets. The door is of framed and sheeted timber. The front elevation displays five window openings: two to the south-east of the porch and three to the north-east. These are vertically sliding sashes divided into two panes vertically, with moulded sash stops and traditional deep sills. A vertically sliding window with two vertical lights also lights the south-east side of the porch. Small openings are present in either gable. The porch has smooth rendered walls, contrasting with the traditional rough finish of the main house.

The rear elevation, accessed through a gate, comprises a sequence of windows of increasing width from south-east to north-west, followed by a sheeted door glazed four-square at the top and a small window lighting a utility room. Window construction matches the front, with moulded sash stops and deep sills. Rainwater goods are of aluminium throughout.

A half-octagonal ended conservatory and utility room have been added to the north-west gable. The utility room is accessed from outside by a framed and sheeted timber door. This extension is roofed with natural slate finished with a red clay ridge, with aluminium rainwater goods. The conservatory is constructed of timber framing. The building has been renovated and adapted for modern living to a high standard, with the conservatory extension demonstrating a meaningful blend of old and new.

The cottage is recorded on the Ordnance Survey map of 1831–32 and was noted in the valuation of circa 1833 as the home of P. Savage, with a rateable value of £2-15-0. By the second valuation in 1856, the value had decreased to £1-10-0, with the occupant recorded as James Savage and Sir Henry H. Bruce noted as lessor. The building faced threats in 1983, when there was an intention to replace the thatch roof with slate, and again in 1993, when there was an intention to allow the building to decay. These threats were overcome, and the building has been successfully preserved and restored. The thatch repairs in 1986 and 2003 were both undertaken by Gerry Agnew.