Loughan House

This elegant middle-sized house, of balanced late-Georgian proportions, retains its early form and character. The loss of the original window fittings fails to detract substantially from its visual expression. The fine cut stone doorcase with delicate fanlight provides an attractive central focus to the main façade and adds decorative interest to the otherwise plain front façade (south). The good-quality flight of cut stone steps serving the entrance add further interest and give this building a sense of grandeur that belies its relatively small scale. This building is an example of the language of classical architecture stripped to its barest fundamental elements, which creates a fine dwelling in a subtle style. This is exhibited through features such as the rigid symmetry to the main elevation, the central round-headed doorway, the diminishing window openings and centrally placed chimneystacks. The form of this building is typical of many middle-sized rural houses dating to the first decades of the nineteenth century and built by prosperous farmers, professionals, clergy and members of the minor gentry. This building forms the centrepiece of a pair of related building along with the complex of outbuildings (13402301) to the north. The simple but appealing gateway to the southwest, which has unusual carved limestone caps to the piers, adds interest to the roadscape to the northwest of Barry. The wrought- and/or cast-iron railings to site, the carved limestone gate posts, the wrought-iron railings and ladder, and the boundary walls to site all add to the setting and complete this composition. Some of the railings an gates are said to have been moved here from Newcastle Demesne (13402709) to the southeast (local information). Loughan House was the home of the Crawford family during the first half to the nineteenth century. It was described in 1835 as the ‘property of Mr. Crawford, held by a deed for ever, c. 1835 (O’Donovan Letters). There are associations between the Crawford family and Loughan dating back to the middle of the eighteenth century, when a James Crawford (1734 – 1793) lived in the area. This suggests that there was an earlier house at Loughan or, perhaps, that the present house was remodeled at the start of the nineteenth century. Loughan House was later the home of the Ferrall family from the late-nineteenth century, and may have been sold c. 1862.