Costillion, Omagh Road, Drumquin, Omagh, Co Tyrone, BT78 4SP

Costillion, Omagh Road, Drumquin, Omagh, Co Tyrone

A detached two-bay two-storey house built around 1880, located south of Omagh Road. The house was constructed as a direct-entry dwelling with two principal rooms to each floor, separated by a timber stair hall. The plan form remains largely intact, though some details have been replaced, notably the windows to the west elevation. As a late example of its type, it is not among the finest examples of such dwellings.

The building is rectangular on plan with an attached single-storey outbuilding to the south. The roof is pitched natural slate with blue and black clay ridge tiles; red brick corbelled chimneys. The walls are roughcast rendered over a smooth plinth.

Windows are timber-framed 6/6 sliding sash with exposed sash boxes to the east elevation and timber casements to the west elevation; all have painted sandstone sills. The principal elevation faces east. The left bay contains an entrance opening with a replacement timber-panelled door with transom light, surmounted by a single window at first floor, flanked to the left by single windows at each floor. The right bay contains a single window at each floor. The south gable is blank. The attached outbuilding to the south contains a vertically-sheeted timber door. The west elevation contains two metal casement windows and, at left, a single window at each floor flanked to the right by a central replacement timber entrance door surmounted by a window at first floor; the right bay contains a window at each floor. The north gable is blank.

The house is set within a farmyard with a range of outbuildings to the east, each having a pitched natural slate roof and lime-rendered (partially fallen away) rubble walling with fieldstone quoins. All openings are timber-framed and doors are vertically-sheeted timber. To the south, a one-and-half-storey outbuilding with sandstone steps at the south providing access to the loft, and at left, an attached single-storey store bearing a datestone to the east elevation. To the east, a single-storey outbuilding with large openings supported by timber lintels and, at left, the remains of a single-storey byre. To the north, a two-storey threshing barn and, at right, a single-storey outbuilding. To the north-west, a single-storey byre with a replacement timber door. The site is accessed from a lane at the north; the original entrance to the north-west is through a pair of wrought-iron gates supported on cast-iron columns.

A group of buildings is shown on the site from the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1833. The present house appears to be first shown on the third edition of 1906, together with additional outbuildings, one of which bears the date 1883. From the second edition of 1854, the group is captioned 'Costillion'. The buildings are difficult to identify in the Townland Valuation but are likely those listing Robert Nethery as the occupier, valued at £2 16s 8d. In Griffith's Valuation (1856-64), the occupier is listed as Andrew Nethery, who leases the house from the Reverend James Gordon and Robert Gordon, valued at £2 15s. In 1873, the value of the buildings is raised to £4, probably as a result of the building of a new house on the plot. In 1907, Andrew Nethery becomes the owner in fee, and there are subsequently several changes in occupier.