Thatched House, Glasmullagh, Knockaraven, Derrylin, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh

Thatched House, Glasmullagh

A one and a half storey three-bay direct entry thatched farmhouse, dating from between 1820 and 1839. The building is located on flat ground approximately half a mile from Lower Lough Erne, facing west onto a minor road from which it is separated by a high hedge and a small garden about two metres deep. The ground floor sits below road level.

The house retains straw thatch, though in badly decayed condition with plant life growing from it and the ridge slipped approximately 150 millimetres from the cement parging around the chimneys. The chimneys are positioned not on the gables but about 2 metres from each end, corresponding to internal wall positions. The eaves are low, approximately 2 metres from ground level.

The main west elevation has a painted smooth sand cement façade with three timber casement windows of varying sizes and a modern sheeted entrance door with obscured glass panel in the central bay, positioned close to the northern chimney line. The north gable retains original wet dash render with layers of lime wash, with a small sash window at high level lighting the first floor. The rear east elevation retains original render on the two northern bays, with lime washed sand cement render to the remainder. A casement window at the junction between old and new render is surrounded by unpainted sand cement. A large crack runs from wall plate to ground level near the northern gable, and the wall has moved forward 100 millimetres at wall plate level. The southern gable has two casements at low level and a small single pane window near the apex.

The interior contains unusual detailing, notably an interesting jamb wall with two openings and two staircases leading to the first floor—rare features that make this building a good example of a type once common but now scarce. The building retains much of its original interior fittings. The plan appears largely unaltered, though the staircases may be later additions.

Historically, a building is shown on this site on the 1834–35 Ordnance Survey map but was not recorded in the first valuation of circa 1835. It appears in the second valuation of 1862, with James Lattimer recorded as tenant "at will" of the Erne Estate at a rateable value of 10 shillings. The corrugated metal outbuilding to the north is shown on the 1907 map. The building was formerly a two-roomed cottage until a concrete block extension was added during the 1970s. The present family has owned the building since the late 19th century, but it has been vacant since the late 1980s and was in a state of advancing dereliction at the time of recording in 2000.

A small flat-roofed shed abuts the building near the road, and there is a small overgrown garden to the rear.