Kildress House, 20 Lower Kildress Road, Cookstown, Co Tyrone, BT80 9RN

Kildress House is an interesting mid-19th century strong farmer's house, built in 1862 by James Cluff on the site of an earlier dwelling. It replaces a thatched farmhouse recorded in the 1830s, occupied at that time by a John Harkness, which measured 48 feet by 20½ feet by 9 feet and was considered below rateable value at the time of the first valuation survey. The new house was recorded as a "new house" in 1863 with a rateable value of £12. By 1879 Richard Cluff had obtained the freehold, and the following year the rateable valuation rose to £16, suggesting the house or its outbuildings were extended or upgraded at that point. It is possible that the large side wings were either added or extended then, though this is difficult to confirm from external inspection alone. The entrance porch also appears to date from around 1880. The property remained with the Cluff family until 1963, when it passed to Dr. John H. A. Black; a Mr. Robin Black is recorded as occupant in 1971.

The house is formally planned and symmetrically composed, divided into three clearly distinct sections: the main house block with its side wings, the stone outbuildings, and the farm sheds. This separation of functions gives the whole estate a somewhat classical and formal character. The outbuildings and sheds contribute significantly to the historical group value of the ensemble.

The house itself is detached, two storeys in height, and largely U-shaped and symmetrical in plan. The main central block faces west. Projecting from its centre is a single-storey entrance lobby. To the north of the main block is a two-storey L-shaped wing, with a matching two-storey wing to the south. A single-storey extension to the south of the southern wing was added around 1990. To the rear of the main block is a two-storey lean-to, positioned roughly off-centre; at first floor level this extends into the north return via a timber-clad corridor link. A further two-storey extension occupies the inner corner of the south wing and main entrance block, also built around 1990.

The front west elevation of the main entrance block is symmetrical, facing onto the lawn and driveway. The main block is three windows wide, with square-headed windows fitted with 2/2 timber sliding sash frames. All windows have plain cut-stone surrounds with a central cut-stone keystone above and cut-stone sills. The projecting central entrance bay has a round-headed doorway on its south side elevation: the door itself is square-headed and timber-panelled, with a round-headed overlight above. The front west and side north elevations of the porch have round-headed windows, with panelled pilasters to the sides supporting a carved stone surround and keystone. The corners of the entrance porch have recessed moulded panelled pilasters with moulded bases, supporting a dentilled frieze and projecting carved cornice.

External walls throughout the main house are plain unpainted render with a cut-stone base and quoin stones to the edges, with rubble stone visible at the rear elevation. The roof is pitched and slated, with two rendered chimneys with profiled stepped capping, one to each gable. Rainwater goods are replacement aluminium.

The rear elevation of the main house is largely obscured by the return and later extensions. To the left is a two-storey lean-to rendered extension; to the centre is a two-storey rubble stone lean-to extension; and to the right is an overhanging timber conservatory. Some square-headed 6/6 timber sliding sash windows are visible in this area.

North Wing: The north wing runs from the gable of the main entrance block back into the rear courtyard. Its front west elevation has square-headed 2/2 timber sliding sash windows, one to the ground floor and one to the first floor, with plain cut-stone surrounds, central cut-stone keystones, and cut-stone sills. The outer north elevation carries a similar series of square-headed windows. The inner courtyard-facing north elevation has 6/6 timber sliding sash windows at first floor level and 6/3 windows at ground floor level, with timber doors to the left and a large timber-sheeted double door to the centre. External walls are render over rubble stone. The roof is hipped with natural slate, with a single brick chimney. Rainwater goods are replacement aluminium. An external staircase with painted cast-iron railings leads to a doorway on the east elevation at first floor level.

South Wing: The south wing is L-shaped in plan and extends from the gable of the main entrance block back into the rear courtyard. The front west elevation has square-headed 2/2 timber sliding sash windows, one to the ground floor and one to the first floor, with the same plain cut-stone surrounds, keystones, and sills as elsewhere. The side south elevation has a similar series of square-headed windows, and the single-storey south extension is located to the left. The courtyard-facing south elevation has an assortment of square-headed 6/6 timber sliding sash windows, with square-headed timber doors at ground floor level and a further door at first floor level that has no external access. External walls are plain render over a mix of brick and rubble stone. The roof is hipped with natural slate, with a single brick chimney. Rainwater goods are replacement aluminium.

South Extension: The single-storey extension to the south, built around 1990, is square in plan. It has two square-headed 2/1 timber sliding sash windows on the west and south elevations, and a timber glazed door with integral side windows on the east elevation. The roof is hipped with natural slate.

Rear Lean-to Return: The rear elevation of this section has 8/8 timber sliding sash windows at ground floor level. At first floor level there is a central round-headed window flanked on each side by two smaller square-headed 1/1 timber sliding sash windows. All windows are set on cut-stone sills. External walls are brick. The roof is natural slate. To the right of the lean-to is a further first floor extension built around 1980, positioned between the first floor of the rear return and the north wing. It is timber-clad at the base and timber-glazed above, forming a continuous roofline with the rear lean-to. There are two rooflights in the roof. Rainwater goods are replacement aluminium.

Left Lean-to Extension: This is a two-storey lean-to addition with casement windows and a square-headed door. The roof is slated with two rooflights. Rainwater goods are replacement uPVC.

Outbuildings: Two almost matching corner outbuildings form the courtyard enclosure to the rear. Both are L-shaped in plan and single storey, with random rubble stone walls with brick dressings and pitched and hipped roofs in artificial slate.

The north outbuilding has a large segmental-headed opening on its south elevation with a square-headed 1/1 timber sliding sash window to each side, and a large square-headed opening on the west elevation with similar 1/1 windows to each side. High-level 1/1 timber sliding sash windows are set into the east elevation.

The south outbuilding has an assortment of square-headed 1/1 timber sliding sash windows with red brick surrounds. There are timber-sheeted doors on the north and west elevations with matching surrounds, a segmental-headed archway on the north elevation leading through to the south, and a further square-headed modern garage door on the north elevation. The south elevation has a single segmental-headed archway connecting from the north. The east elevation has high-level 1/1 timber sliding sash windows. The outbuilding abuts the east gable of the southern L-shaped wing.

To the rear northeast of the house, two large corrugated iron sheds form an incomplete courtyard enclosure in that area.

Setting: Kildress House sits within its own grounds to the southeast of the Ballinderry River, surrounded by fields, trees, and ponds to the south and west. Access is via a lane to the north, which enters through an opening within the sheds to the rear and passes between the north and south outbuildings into the rear yard. A relatively unused drive also leads from the rear east around to the front of the house.