Moree House, 19 Oughterard Road, Dungannon, BT70 3HT

Moree House

This is a late Georgian house of the early 19th century, dating from around 1820-1839, which once possessed an attractive and nicely proportioned front façade with fine classical detailing. It has now fallen into a state of dereliction and has remained unoccupied since around 1979.

The main building is a two-storey house with three bays and attics, with numerous off-shoots to the sides and rear, all now in ruinous condition. The main entrance faces east. The east elevation is symmetrical, with one window to each side of the central entrance. The walling is finished with dry-dash render, currently much obscured by creeping vegetation. The roof is of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, in poor condition. There are two brick chimneys, one on each gable, partly collapsed and missing pots. Cast iron rainwater goods are in poor condition.

Windows are rectangular timber vertically hung sliding sash windows with 6 over 6 panes and horns, in poor condition. The centre window on the first floor is of rectangular tripartite type, with 6 over 6 panes to the central light and 2 over 2 panes to the sidelights. The principal entrance features a rectangular timber panelled door set between semi-columns carrying an open triangular pediment containing a radial fanlight, flanked by multi-paned sidelights bounded by terminal pilasters. This fine classical doorcase is much covered by creeper and in poor condition, with the right-hand column fractured.

The south gable is entirely covered with vegetation. Projecting from it is a lower three-and-two-storey annex in partly gabled and partly lean-to form, rendered as the main block. The lean-to portion contains one ground-level window of rectangular timber coupled casements with small panes, set in smooth rendered reveals with a projecting sandstone cill. The south wall of the annex contains one window to each floor in the form of horizontally glazed single and coupled casements. The gabled three-storey annex has a slated pitched roof and rendered walls but is missing the rear wall and part of the roof.

The west or rear elevation shows the rear of the main front block with a central projection and a long wing extending to the left. The rear elevation is of three-storey height as it includes an exposed basement. Walling is of rubble stonework with brick dressings to openings, and some harling remains in place on portions of the building. Roofs are slated as the front elevation but much of the main front block's roof is now open. The central projection has a hipped roof. Windows are rectangular, except for a tall semi-circular arched opening in the central projection now bereft of window framing. Surviving windows are mainly small-paned sliding sash type. At basement level there are large segmental arched openings. The wing to the north has two brick chimneys.

The north gable of the north wing is of rubble stonework with roughly squared sandstone quoins to the extremities. It contains an open doorway and an open attic window, and is in very poor condition. The east side of the north wing is of single-storey height with a slated roof and rendered walling. It contains a segmental arched recess next to the front block and a large hole broken through the wall at the other end, with a low lean-to projection having a corrugated iron roof between them.

The north gable of the main block is of two storeys with attics, rendered as the front elevation with timber barge boards. It has one first-floor window, a rectangular timber sliding sash of 6 over 6 panes with horns, and two attic windows.

The house stands in a rural area between two public roads but set well back from both, within grounds largely given over to farm use. It is approached by a driveway from the south, now closed off, and also from the north-west through the farmyard. Immediately in front is a grassed area with some trees. To the rear is a yard enclosed by a rubble stone wall on the north side with a wide segmental archway leading into the yard and containing old flat ironwork gates. The south side is formed by a low range of outbuildings with harled walls and slated roofs, containing both sashed and casement windows in poor condition with parts now derelict and roofless. The west side was formerly formed by another range of outbuildings now demolished, with rubble remaining. Beyond this is another range still standing of no special interest. To the west and north-west are corrugated iron farm buildings and modern silos. The main entrance to the farmyard, and now to the house, is formed by the vestiges of a gateway and low rendered screen walls without gates.