Cloneen, 8 Magherafelt Road, Moneymore, Magherafelt

Cloneen is a pleasing Victorian period house in Tudor Gothic style, located on Magherafelt Road at Moneymore. Though built after the death of architect William John Booth in 1871, the house adheres closely to his style and detailing, and is shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1856. It may have been designed originally by Booth with the plan followed by a later builder, as the external details are very similar to the Forester's house on the Desertmartin Road. The house has been much altered internally and extended in parts, but still retains the robust form and details of the original, as do the outbuildings, screen wall, piers and gates.

The building is a three-bay wide, one-and-a-half storey stone-built house with a cruciform plan, two added porches and a one-and-a-half storey back return. The southeast elevation facing Magherafelt Road is symmetrical with a central projecting gable containing a modern six-pane window in a square-headed sandstone surround with boldly chamfered reveals. Above in the gable is a modern two-pane window in a similar surround with a horizontal moulded hood turned down at the ends. The walls are built of coursed squared white limestone with sandstone quoins, heavy kneelers and asymmetrical weathered bold barges. On each side of the central gable are projecting gabled wings with a lower ridge line. A new timber glazed porch has been erected in the angle of the left-hand wing, within which the original entrance door is retained. This is a three-centre arch Tudor style door with sandstone surround and reveals featuring bold chamfer. To the gable of the right-hand wing has been added a flat-roofed small extension with French windows on the southeast side and a modern window on the northeast. These walls are constructed of artificial stone.

The southwest side has a projecting central gable, narrower than that on the southeast, with a single small vertical opening at first floor containing a modern window insert with chamfered sandstone surround as before. The wing to the right is partially obscured by a recent timber porch, while the wing to the left has the original three-centre Tudor style back door with concave chamfer. This is a four-panel door with top panels horizontal and glazed, and a small triangular glazed fanlight above. From the left-hand side of the gable projects a high screen wall in matching stonework with a wide gateway flanked by tall round piers topped with steep pitched conical caps.

From the northwest gable extends a one-and-a-half storey back return, recently constructed over two bays in line with the door, featuring a modern window on the ground floor and two flat-roofed dormers centrally above that break the gutter line. The steep roof pitch has been maintained, though the walls are smooth rendered, lined and unpainted, with further modern windows added on other facades. The original building retains its steeply pitching roofs, with the lower ridge penetrating the higher ridge. At the crossing is a grouping of three tall red brick chimneys arranged diagonally. A further single diagonally arranged chimney rises from the lower ridge of the northeast wing.

The gated screen wall returns towards the rear to meet a one-and-a-half storey building constructed in keeping with the original house. It is gabled to the southeast and northwest with two shallow triangular-headed door openings. On the gables are four-pane double-hung sliding sash windows. The walls are built in coursed white limestone with plain gables. The house is set well back from Magherafelt Road with the southeast facade parallel to it.

The lead soakers above the roof overhang adjacent to the back door bear a scratch mark, apparently reading "Rolson, Mar. 1877". The present owner's father, who was a builder, carried out the various extensions and alterations and has occupied the house since 1954. The original name of the house was Cloneen, which was changed to Hilden, and the present occupier reverted to the original name.