Parochial House, 41 Moyle Road, Newtownstewart BT78 4AP

A detached three-bay two-storey rendered former presbytery, built around 1925, stands on the south side of Moyle Road to the west of Newtownstewart Presbyterian Church. Now vacant, the building faces north and is rectangular on plan.

The house displays a decorative rendered façade with painted ruled-and-lined cement render, rendered quoins and plinth course. A hipped natural slate roof is finished with roll-moulded black clay ridge tiles and terracotta finials. Symmetrically-placed rendered profiled chimneystacks rise from the main roof, with a further chimneystack from the rear elevation. Overhanging eaves are supported by a series of rendered corbels, with cast-iron rainwater goods to a timber fascia and moulded string course beneath.

The symmetrical front elevation features a central gable-fronted entrance porch and a three-sided canted bay to either side. A continuous moulded string course runs at ground floor lintel level, with a further continuous cornice above. Window openings are square-headed with painted concrete sills. The principal windows are 2/2 timber sash windows with chamfered reveals and hood mouldings to the first floor. The central first floor window is a single-pane timber sash with coloured glass margin lights. Each canted bay has a parapet wall concealing the roof, containing 2/2 and single-pane timber sash windows with a continuous sill course.

The entrance porch has a pitched natural slate roof with a raised gable featuring saddle-back coping surmounted by a trefoil and gableted kneelers on console brackets. The door opening is four-centred arched with stop-chamfered reveals, hood moulding and an original raised-and-fielded timber panelled door with dentilled lintel cornice and overlight. Single-pane timber sash windows flank the porch entrance.

The two-storey east side elevation has an off-centre window opening to the first floor only, abutted by a rendered brick screen wall. The two-storey west side elevation has off-centre window openings to both floors. The rear elevation is largely obscured by later extensions.

A two-bay two-storey flat-roofed extension was added to the rear around 1980, with painted cement rendered walling and square-headed landscape window openings containing uPVC windows. The extension roof is lined with copper from roof to first floor lintel level. A smaller single-storey flat-roofed extension adjoins this.

The front area is enclosed to the road by a rendered wall with access to the site to the west. The side and rear site are finished in gravel with a small garage abutting the single-storey extension.

Historical records indicate that buildings have occupied this site since at least 1854. The present structure represents a substantial rebuild completed in 1923, replacing an earlier single-storey dwelling that stood on the site. Griffith's Valuation of 1858 records a house and offices formerly occupying the site, occupied by David White and leased from John Phelan and John Patton, valued at £5 10 shillings. In 1876 the house became the home of Dr John Todd, and in 1878 a 'new house' was built, valued at £13. By 1891 it had become a presbytery, occupied by Reverend W. J. O'Doherty. In 1910 it was occupied by Reverend McLaughlin. The 1923 revaluation to £22 indicates the building's reconstruction. By 1934 Reverend Andrew Campbell occupied the property as tenant of the Rt Reverend John K. O'Doherty, later amended to the Rt Reverend Dr O'Kane, with valuation of £22, later increased to £24. Historical records note the house was rent-free from the bishop, had town water supply but no gas or electric light, and comprised a kitchen, scullery, store and two receptions on the ground floor, and four bedrooms, one reception, a bathroom and a W.C. upstairs. Photographs from the local history publication "Newtownstewart Remembered" document the transformation, with an image from 1907 showing the original single-storey dwelling, and a photograph after 1923 showing the substantially enlarged two-storey structure that survives today.