4 Killyboggin Road, Magherafelt, Co. Londonderry, BT45 5HJ

4 Killyboggin Road, Magherafelt

A single storey vernacular house with contiguous outbuildings, dating from approximately 1840 to 1859. The building is sited on sloping ground to the west of a minor road proceeding south-westerly from the road between Magherafelt and Desertmartin, about two miles from Magherafelt. A small stream runs on the opposite side of the road.

The house was originally a two-bay direct entry structure, later extended to three bays by incorporating a contiguous outbuilding and adding a rear compartment to the right hand bedroom. It faces north. The roofs were originally thatched but were recovered with corrugated iron around 1955, except for the kitchen which is covered with corrugated asbestos. The walls are constructed of stone with a plastered finish to the front and sides, and feature a black base at the front. The rear extension is of rubble stone with remains of harling.

The entrance door is missing and the right hand jamb has been built up in brickwork. To the right, the base of the wall is rubble stone with plaster remains, with concrete block above. A vertically sliding window with moulded sash stops is glassless. A three pane metal framed window with a top opener at centre lights the second bedroom. Beyond this is a metal window of three horizontal panes positioned above an opening that has been built up with concrete blocks into the first byre.

Moving down the slope, the suite of original outbuildings is of reduced height compared with the two upper bays, with the roof of the final byre reducing in height still further. A small window positioned left of centre in the right gable was used to light an upper chamber, now redundant. On the front elevation, from right to east, the sequence of openings comprises: a ledged and sheeted timber door; a two pane metal framed window with a top opener in the right hand section and no sill; a ledged and sheeted timber door; a ledged and plank timber door with a sheet of plywood covering the lower part; a ledged, braced and plank timber door that does not extend to the full height; and a ledged and sheeted timber door.

The property appears in the Ordnance Survey revision of 1854 but not in the 1832 edition. Three small buildings shown within the site on the 1832 map are assumed to be earlier structures that have been replaced by the present development. Deeds in the owner's possession record transfer of the lands from the Honourable the Irish Society to the Salters' Company in 1666. The property was purchased by the present owner's father in 1942.