The Farmers Home, 19-23 Railway Street, Strabane, Co Tyrone, BT82 8EG

The Farmers Home is a detached five-bay two-storey rendered public house located on the north side of Railway Street in Strabane. Built around 1870, this mid-nineteenth-century establishment represents a now rare example of the combined commercial shop, bar and residential premises that were once common throughout the Irish townscape.

The building is rectangular on plan, facing south, with a single-storey return and a further modern single-storey extension to the east gable extending to the rear. The roof is pitched with natural slate and black clay ridge tiles, served by three rendered chimneys with clay pots and cast-iron rainwater goods. A small dormer window with an extractor fan is set into the rear pitch. The walling is painted with ruled-and-lined render and rendered quoins to the front elevation, pebble dash render to the side elevations, and smooth render to the rear.

The principal elevation comprises five bays. The public house shopfront occupies the left bay and consists of an enlarged window opening with render architrave surround containing a tripartite fixed-pane timber display window. A square-headed door opening to the right has a render architrave surround with moulded entablature extending across the shop window. The door is a replacement double-leaf timber panelled door with a further pair of original wood-grained timber panelled doors behind; the glazed upper panels feature coloured margin lights and brass bars. The central and right bays formerly comprised the landlord's accommodation, with the central bay containing a window at left and a timber panelled door with overlight set in moulded render architrave surround on plinth blocks at right. The right bay has a single window. All window openings are square-headed with painted masonry sills and 1/1 timber sash windows. The first floor has five irregularly spaced windows. Traditional painted lettering on the walls identifies the building as 'The Farmers Home' and bears the name 'McHenry'.

The west gable has a single door opening with a tongue-and-groove timber door. The multi-bay two-storey rear elevation is abutted by a single-storey corrugated iron roofed return and steel fire escape, with a 6/6 timber sash window and further 2/2 windows with replacement timber sheeted doors. The east gable is abutted by a recent off-licence extension with a single-pitched fibre cement slate roof, hardwood display windows and hardwood glazed double-leaf doors opening onto a cobbled ramp. A small opening at attic level on the gable contains a four-pane timber casement window. The front and east side areas are finished in bitumac with a row of steel bollards. A wrought-iron gate provides access at the west gable.

The building retains its original nineteenth-century layout and interior detailing, including an original fire surround and timber joinery. This arrangement reveals a typical configuration of commercial shop and bar with residential premises above, with most detailing remaining intact. A courtyard to the rear contains rubble outbuildings and walling, and a single-storey stable block; the stable block and part of a two-storey outbuilding are in poor condition.

According to valuation records, a house was present on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1833 together with an outbuilding that appears to have survived. However, the current building dates from around 1870. In Griffith's Valuation it was listed as a house, offices, yard and land valued at £11 15 shillings, leased by Robert Henderson from the Marquis of Abercorn. Andrew Gourley became the occupier in 1868 and the valuation increased to £16, possibly indicating remodelling or the addition of outbuildings. Thomas Quigley occupied the property in 1876 with a further increase to £22 10 shillings, strongly suggesting substantial rebuilding during one or both of these revisions. By 1892 the building was re-designated as a public house. In 1906 a billiard room was built adjacent to the public house to the east. Elizabeth McHenry became the occupier of the pub and billiard room in 1918, and in 1920 the value of the buildings increased to £28, with valuers' notes attributing this to the rebuilding in brick of a wooden shed formerly used for stabling. The notes also record that a new garage was built in former outbuildings to the west, occupied by John McHenry and Pat Cameron. In 1923 the adjacent billiard hall became a post office. The McHenry name, painted on the current building, commemorates this period of ownership.

The licensed house comprised a kitchen, two rooms, bar and bottling store, and cloakroom on the ground floor, with four bedrooms, two rooms and attics above. The owner held a 61-year lease from 1877. A building to the west was used by a taxi proprietor for garaging and repairing vehicles.

The social significance of the Farmers Home is substantial as a well-known local establishment, enhanced by its intact interior retaining original nineteenth-century features and revealing a typical arrangement now increasingly rare in the Irish townscape.