Survey Data
Reg No
40815030
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural
Original Use
House
In Use As
House
Date
1880 - 1900
Coordinates
234970, 431725
Date Recorded
06/10/2008
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
End-of-terrace two-bay two-storey house, built c. 1890, having single-storey flat-roofed canted bay window to the north end of the main elevation (east) with gable-fronted bay over, and with single-storey extension to the rear (west). One of a group of three along with neighbours to the south (not in survey, altered). Pitched natural slate roof with clayware ridge tiles, smooth rendered chimneystack to the north gable end and modern brick chimneystack to the south end; timber bargeboard and timber weather boarded cladding to gable-fronted bay. Moulded cornice to head of canted bay. Mono pitched artificial slate roof to rear extension. Smooth rendered walls with brick exposed to north gable elevation. Square-headed window openings with two-over-two and one-over-one pane horned timber sash windows. Square-headed door opening to the south end of the main elevation (east) with replacement timber panelled door plain sidelights, and overlight. Set back from road in own grounds in elevated site to the south of Buncrana town centre. Smooth rendered boundary walls with modern metal railings over to front of site enclosing lawn. Yard to rear (west) with single-storey outbuilding. Laneway to the north of site.
Appraisal
This modest but appealing house, of late nineteenth-century appearance, retains its early form and character. It is the best surviving example of a group of three buildings, it neighbours to the south having being altered in recent years. Its visual expression and integrity is enhanced by the retention of fabric such as the natural slate roof and the timber sliding sash windows. The simple weather boarded timber cladding to the gable-fronted bay, and the render cornice to the canted bay window, add some interest to the otherwise plain building. The canted bay window is a feature found on many houses of its type and date in Ireland. This building originally dates from the period when Buncrana was a popular seaside resort, frequented by the middle classes of Derry, particularly following the opening of the railway line to the town in 1864. Located in a prominent location along the main approach road into the town from the south, this building is a modest element of the built heritage of Buncrana and is one of the few buildings in this part of Buncrana that substantially retains its fabric.