Moyle House, 3 Carrigan's Road, Newtownstewart, Omagh, BT78 4EE

Moyle House, 3 Carrigan's Road, Newtownstewart

Moyle House is a detached, multi-bay, two-storey rendered former glebe house, built around 1850, set in its own secluded grounds at the end of a long tree-lined avenue off Strahulter Road, approximately half a mile east of Newtownstewart. Although the main body of the house was destroyed by fire — probably before 1929 — the substantial surviving return wing and its associated outbuildings retain a number of original features, including early timber sash windows, masonry details, and an unusual outbuilding on a quadrant plan. Fragments of a carved stone Ionic portico from the original house are scattered to the front and west of the site, hinting at the grandeur of what once stood here. The remains are not considered to retain sufficient architectural interest to warrant listing.

The surviving building comprises two rectangular blocks set on an east-west axis, formerly the return to Moyle House. The west block is stepped back slightly behind the east block. A multi-bay two-storey rendered outbuilding is attached to the east gable, and a further range of single-storey outbuildings on a quadrant plan is attached to the north elevation of the west block, enclosing a rear yard.

The roofs are pitched natural slate, hipped to the west end of the east block, with terracotta ridge tiles, lead valleys, and four large rendered chimneystacks with terracotta pots. Rainwater goods are replacement metal fixed to a timber box fascia. The walls are painted rendered throughout — ruled-and-lined render to the west block and painted roughcast to the east block — with painted rusticated masonry quoins. Window openings are square-headed with painted stone sills and a mixture of original timber sash windows and uPVC replacements.

The west block is four windows wide. At ground-floor level a full-width slated canopy covers a semi-circular bay window and the principal entrance. The entrance has double-leaf timber doors with multi-pane sidelights and an overlight, opening onto a raised area approached by three full-width granite steps, with two rendered piers supporting the canopy above. Timber casement windows serve the bay window. At first-floor level there are two 6/6 timber sash windows and two uPVC windows.

The east block is five windows wide. The first floor retains three 3/6 early timber sash windows and the ground floor has two 6/6 timber sash windows along with two uPVC replacements. The easternmost opening has double-leaf timber French doors leading into a lean-to conservatory. Beyond this elevation a multi-bay outbuilding projects, with a catslide roof. The west side gable has a single uPVC window with painted stone quoins at either end.

The north elevation of the west block is four windows wide, with the east bay abutted by the single-storey quadrant-plan outbuilding. Early 3/6 timber sash windows survive to the first floor; the ground floor has uPVC windows. The east bay and single-bay east side elevation have an earlier lime-rendered wall finish, with smaller window openings to the side elevation fitted with uPVC windows.

The rear elevation of the east block faces the rear yard. The western three bays retain 3/6 timber sash windows to the first floor and uPVC windows at ground level. The eastern half of the building functions as an outbuilding, with a flight of stone steps to the first floor and all doors and windows removed. The outbuilding continues to the east as a lower, lofted single-storey range with its north elevation recessed.

The quadrant-plan outbuilding abutting the north elevation of the west block is constructed in rubblestone with a curved single-pitched natural slate roof. Its outer elevation has a single door opening and a single window opening, fitted with a timber panelled door and a 6/6 timber sash window respectively. Fixed multi-pane timber windows survive to the inner elevation. A further single-storey outbuilding closes the rear yard to the east, with an artificial slate roof, pebbledash rendered walls, and vertically-sheeted timber doors.

The grounds retain a gravel front and side area joining a short gravel lane to the rear yard, which continues westward before turning north to form the long tree-lined avenue to Strahulter Road. At the entrance on the south side of Strahulter Road stands a stone gate screen erected around 1820. This consists of a pair of square ashlar stone piers with cement pointing, corniced caps, and stone ball finials on tapered plinths. To the right the screen is flanked by a rendered alcoved wall with soldier rubblestone coping; the flanking wall to the left has been replaced with an interlaced cast concrete balustrade wall bounding the gate lodge. A pair of wrought-iron gates with spiked finials hang between the piers. A single-storey gate lodge sits within the east boundary of the screen; it has been entirely replaced and is of no interest. A straight tarmac avenue, tree-lined and sweeping to the east, leads from the gate to the house.

The history of the site is documented in considerable depth. According to the Ordnance Survey Memoirs, the original building — known as Castle Moyle or Moyle Cottage — was built in 1727 by Dr John Hall, rector of the parish of Ardstraw from 1713 to 1735, who "contributed largely" to rebuilding the parish church and "at great expense erected a commodious glebe house." The Memoirs record that the house received the name Moyle Castle on account of its proximity to the ruins of an old castle formerly belonging to a branch of the O'Neill family, which a previous incumbent had converted into a summer house. The Memoirs describe it as having "a solid, old-fashioned but comfortable appearance" and being "surrounded with a few trees." The present surviving structure appears to have been built around 1850 as a replacement for this earlier glebe house. The Townland Valuation of 1828–40 records a glebe dwelling occupied by the Reverend Dr Nash, valued at £30 8s 10d, which is understood to be the original 1727 house. By the time of Griffith's Valuation, both the old and newer properties are assessed together at the higher value of £55, with the Reverend James McIvor as occupier and the Provost and Fellows of Trinity College, Dublin as lessors. McIvor became the occupier in fee around 1864. In 1887 the Reverend William J Christie was in occupation, and by 1892 the gate lodge, previously valued with the main property, receives its first separate mention in the records. Valuers' notes from 1912 include a plan and dimensions for the property. By 1929 the occupier was Marshall McCausland and the rateable value had fallen dramatically to £8, directly reflecting the destruction of the principal part of the house by fire.