Manoo, Kesh, Co. Fermanagh, BT92 1TL

Manoo is a one and a half storey, three bay, direct entry thatched house built in the early 19th century, located near Kesh in County Fermanagh. The house faces south towards the Irvinestown/Kesh road, just over three miles from the former town of Kesh.

The building is finished in harled render on the front elevation and rendered elsewhere, all whitened. The thatch roof is contained within parapet gables, with three rows of scallops exposed at the ridge and one at the eaves. Each gable rises to a corbelled chimney, and a further stack serves the living room hearth. A seamless aluminium gutter on large projecting brackets runs across the rear eaves to protect a kitchen extension below.

The entrance comprises a pair of diagonally sheeted stained timber doors under a two pane fanlight. To the left (west) of the entrance is one top hung casement window, and to the right are two similar windows, all with stained finishes and traditional depth sills. Two further casements of similar design are positioned at the rear, lighting the living room and back bedroom. Small plain windows with painted framing and no sills occupy each gable end. The fenestration of the extensions uses modern stained framing.

A building is recorded on this site on the Ordnance Survey map of 1834–35, though not noted in the contemporary valuation. By the revised map of 1859, the house appears in extended form, but lacking the present end projections. The 1862 valuation records the occupant as John McGregor, with the Reverend Richard St. George as immediate lessor and a rateable value of £1–15–0.

The house has undergone a number of alterations, though the basic internal layout remains discernible and some detail has been retained. Replacement windows at the front occupy earlier openings. The importance of the thatched roof in traditional form with unaltered timberwork is of paramount interest.

Extensions adjoin the building: a single storey extension with red tiled roof abuts the west gable, a lean-to shed with corrugated iron roof also stands on the west gable, and a flat concrete roofed kitchen appears at the rear. These extensions were not considered to detract significantly from the house's character.

The rear slope of the roof was re-thatched by Frank Gilligan using straw in 1997, with repair work to the front slope carried out at that time and again in 2000. The front was fully re-thatched in 2001 using straw, with repairs made to the rear covering at the junction with the chimneys. The house was reassessed for listing in 1995, with the decision to list influenced by the dwindling number of thatched buildings in the region. The Historic Buildings Council endorsed the recommendation for listing on 6 October 1995.