Termon House, 64 Termon Road, Carrickmore, Omagh, Co Tyrone, BT79 9JB

Termon House is a detached symmetrical three-bay three-storey late-Georgian house built circa 1815, located on the north side of Termon Road in Carrickmore. It was originally the rectory of Reverend Charles Cobbe Beresford, rector of the local St. Columbkille Church.

The house is rectangular on plan, facing west, with a central entrance porch and a series of extensions to the north. The roofs are hipped natural slate with blue-black clay ridge tiles and cast-iron u-profile rainwater goods. The walls are ruled-and-lined rendered over roughly coursed squared-and-snecked rubble, with a projecting ruled-and-lined plinth finished with chamfered coping. A large central chimney with original pots (now partially demolished) rises from the roof. The principal west elevation is abutted by a single-storey porch with hipped natural slate roof, now partially destroyed.

Windows throughout are 6/6 timber sliding sashes with projecting masonry cills, diminished to 3/6 at second floor level. All window frames remain intact but are in poor condition with much broken glass. The principal west elevation contains a single window to the right of the entrance porch, with the left side blank. Two windows appear at first floor, the left bay containing a blank window with projecting masonry cill, and three windows at first floor. The entrance porch itself contains a single six-panelled painted entrance door with beaded muntin, original ironmongery and doorbell. The rear east elevation is symmetrical, containing two 6/6 dipartite windows at ground floor and four windows at first and second floor. The left north elevation is abutted by single-storey and two-storey extensions with exposed sections containing two small casement windows at first and second floor. The right south elevation contains a single window at left and two windows at first and second floor, with only the plinth wall remaining of a recently removed single-storey glazed conservatory. Internal plasterwork has fallen away, exposing the roughly coursed squared-and-snecked rubble walling beneath.

The northern extensions are ancillary structures with pitched and hipped natural slate roofs, red brick corbelled chimneys, roughcast rendered walls and multi-pane timber sliding sashes with projecting masonry cills. The north elevation of the main house is enclosed by a segmental-arched-headed opening and random rubble wall.

The house contains two fine marble neo-classical fireplaces on the ground floor, dated to the late eighteenth century, and the dining room ceiling displays the Beresford crest.

The house is set within a large estate to the north of Termon Road, now largely overgrown with original paths and roads only partially visible. It can be accessed from two points on Termon Road: at west from a replacement entrance and at south-east from the original gatelodge. The grounds contain a stable yard with original stables intact, a chambered grave, boat house and lake.

According to the Diocesan history of Armagh, the Glebe House was built in 1815 at Athenree at a cost of £3,293 1s 7d, with the Board of First Fruits providing a gift of £100 and a loan of £1,500. Reverend Beresford obtained the parish rectory in 1809 and requested a new rectory closer to the parish church, securing a site at Athenree. During his forty-three years as rector, he consecrated St. Columbkille's Church in 1822 and built churches at Sixmilecross and Drummakilly and the Parochial School. The subsequent owner, Reverend Samuel Alexander, was rector from 1851 until 1880 and married Beresford's daughter, Charlotte Frances, who built the parish church's tower and steeple. The house remained in the Alexander family until sold in the 1980s. Architectural historian Alistair Rowan describes it as a startling instance of the grandeur in scale that the Church of Ireland clergy conceived as being appropriate to their status.

The house appears on the First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1833) captioned 'Athenry', on the Second Edition (1853) as 'Termon Rectory' with an ornamental lake also present, and on the Third Edition (1906) as 'Termon'. The Townland Valuation records a dwelling house with various ancillary structures including cellars, servants' apartments, turf house, larder and dairy belonging to Reverend Charles C. Beresford, valued at £31 11s 6d. Griffith's Valuation records the owner and occupier as Reverend Samuel Alexander with house, offices and gate lodges valued at £40, rising to £55 in the first annual revision (1860-63) and remaining in Alexander family hands throughout the period covered by records (1860-1924).

Although the later date of 1815 has been attributed, the outward appearance and interior suggest an earlier date of circa 1790. This earlier dating is further suggested by the two fine marble neo-classical fireplaces on the ground floor, which appear late eighteenth century in date.