39 Sixtowns Road, Tonaght, Draperstown, Magherafelt, Co Londonderry, BT45 7BA

39 Sixtowns Road is a single-storey, four-bay direct entry thatched house built between 1840 and 1859, located in Tonaght, adjoining the main road about half a mile west of Draperstown in Co. Londonderry. The house sits on the approach to the Sperrin Mountains and forms a picturesque ensemble with its associated outbuilding, Ulster pillars, and wrought iron farm gate.

The dwelling has been substantially rebuilt but retains considerable period character. The house consists of three parts with a modern extension at the rear, all with plastered and whitened finish. The central section facing south is surmounted by a thatched roof between raised parapet gables, with a slightly recessed portion to the left having similar roof treatment. The ridge lines are decorated with exposed scollops and the eaves are cut tight to the wall faces. The chimneystacks rising from either gable appear notably tall owing to the lowering of the roof pitch. The left section had thatch substituted for earlier felt covering as part of a restoration scheme completed in 2001, with lead flashings where this roof meets the central parapet gable. Each chimney stack is finished with cappings and supports a single black pot. To the right of the central part, a recessed store is roofed with corrugated iron.

The central section is fronted by a lead-covered cube porch with cast iron rainwater goods and a part-glazed sheeted entrance door. The porch is flanked by quartered windows, replacing earlier six-pane lights. The wall surfaces either side contain vertically sliding sash windows with two vertical panes and small curved sash stops. The store is lit by a fixed quartered window, with sills of reasonable depth at the leading faces. There are no openings in the gables or rear wall of the main house. The modern extension is roofed with natural slate, including a boiler house, and features top-hung sashes divided vertically into two panes.

The stone outbuilding to the east is contemporary with the main house. The entrance to the property is defined by circular Ulster pillars and a traditional wrought iron blacksmith-made farm gate, both contemporary with the dwelling.

The Ordnance Survey map of 1832 does not record a building on this site, but a house matching the present structure appears on the revised map of 1856–57. The 1858 valuation identifies the occupant as Anne Crilly, with Charles Murray and the Trustees of Robert Ogilby Esq as immediate lessors, with a rateable value of 8 shillings.

A thatching scheme was undertaken prior to a Monitoring of Thatched Buildings visit in April 1994, at which time there was little evidence of deterioration. The rear appendages were considered visually intrusive, leading to a scheme completed in 2001 which formed a separate unit connected by a short link. The owner determined that the existing roof timbers were unusable and instructed their replacement.

The property is listed as a house, outbuilding, pillars and gate.