Loughmacrory Lodge, 192 Loughmacrory Road, Loughmacrory, Omagh, Co Tyrone, BT79 9LG

Loughmacrory Lodge is a detached five-bay one-and-a-half-storey former hunting lodge built around 1840, located on the north side of Loughmacrory Road near Omagh in County Tyrone. The building presents as single-storey from its principal south-facing elevation, but an unusual roofscape of gabled returns to the rear reveals its full one-and-a-half-storey construction incorporating an earlier house. The façade is plainly detailed and well proportioned, with much of its original fabric surviving in good condition. The building plan and form demonstrate its historical development, and it remains a good example of this type of small country house.

The building is rectangular on plan, consisting of a main block with three gabled returns to the north. A single-storey lean-to extension was added around 1960 to the north, and a single-storey flat-roofed porch to the south. A single-storey hipped sunroom extension with double-leaf glazed doors and sidelights was added to the west in 1996. A further two-storey return extends to the north-east, abutted by a single-storey flat-roofed extension also added around 1960. An attached single-storey gabled outbuilding stands to the north-east.

The roof is a replacement hipped natural slate with terracotta ridge tiles over deep overhanging eaves supported on paired corbel brackets. Stepped rendered chimneys with concrete coping and original clay pots are present, along with a sandstone chimney to the return. The walls are ruled-and-lined render with painted rusticated quoins.

The principal south-facing elevation is abutted at its centre by a porch with cornice and parapet containing a single 6/6 sliding sash window with hood moulding. A replacement square-headed four-panelled timber door stands to the east, with the remains of a moulded shouldered door architrave to the west (now blocked). Two windows sit to the left of the porch, and two replacement uPVC windows to the right. Windows throughout are mostly replacement square-headed timber-framed 9/6 sliding sash with 3/2 sidelights surmounted by hood moulding with label-stops on the principal elevation, with sandstone sills.

The west elevation is abutted at its right by the sunroom. An exposed section at first floor contains two gabled half-dormers with timber bargeboards, each containing a 3/3 sliding sash window. The return at the left contains a single 6/6 window to the ground floor right. A single window appears to the north and south of the sunroom with concrete sills.

The north elevation is abutted at its right by gabled returns, with five 6/3 windows with concrete sills at first floor. A lean-to abuts the ground floor and projects to form a canopy over a recessed entrance containing a replacement timber-framed glazed door. An exposed section to the centre contains a 6/3 window. This elevation is further abutted at its left by a return. To the west, two timber casement windows sit at ground floor left, with single 6/3 sliding sash windows to ground floor right and two 6/3 sliding sash windows at first floor. The north gable is abutted at ground floor by an extension containing a timber entrance door and casement window, with an attached outbuilding containing a single timber casement window.

The east elevation contains two gabled half-dormers at its left, detailed as those to the west. A return at the right contains, at its left, a 3/6 sliding sash window at ground floor and two 3/3 sliding sash windows at first floor. At the right, a single window appears at ground floor and a 3/3 sliding sash window at first floor.

The building is set within mature gardens with attractive aspect views towards Lough Macrory to the south. It is bounded to the north and west by rubble walling with a covered carport to the west. To the north-east sits a single-storey pitched rendered garage and single-storey hipped outbuilding abutted by rendered walling supporting steel gates at the corner of a court enclosed by rubble walling. A multi-bay two-storey lime-rendered rubble outbuilding stands to the east, with square rubble pillars to the south-east of the hipped outbuilding. The road frontage to the south is bounded by planting accessed through square rendered pillars, with a rendered single-storey gate lodge (replacement fabric).

The building first appears on the 1853 Ordnance Survey map captioned "Loughmacrory Lodge," beside Loughmacrory Lake. It appears to have replaced a simpler rectangular structure that appeared on the first Ordnance Survey map of 1834. A "Boat House" and "Gate Lodge" are also captioned on the 1853 map, with a formal garden and outbuildings present. A further "Gate Lodge" is captioned to the south of the lake. The Townland Valuation Records (1828–40) indicate that a house was being built on the site at the time of recording, with half the value of the plot deducted "for want of finish of part of work." In Griffith's Valuation (1856–64), the plot belonged to Sir John Stewart Baronet in fee, with the buildings valued at £15 and £35 for land. The value of the buildings increased in the Annual Revision Records to £20 for buildings and £36 15 shillings for land by 1860. The house continued to be owned by the Stewart family throughout the period covered by the records (1860–1929). Historical sources describe it as a Regency shooting lodge built in 1837 by Sir Hugh Stewart of Ballygawley Park on an elevated spot by the lake, with a plain design. The south entrance pre-dating 1854 was demolished, whilst the north entrance of the same period survives. Loughmacrory Lodge was the last home of the Stewarts in the area and is now in private ownership. The adjacent Parish Church of Saint Columba contains the burial vault of the Stewart family.