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A family house that dates back to the Siege of Derry has come on the market for the first time in almost 100 years.
The picturesque Grade A-listed home on the Ballyarton Road near Claudy has been in the possession of the Maccombe family since 1926.
The original house has been dated by the Department for Communities to between 1650 and 1699, which is not long after the construction of the Walls of Derry and around the time of the Siege of Derry.
The house was extended twice – once in the 17th century when a thatched house was added and again in the 18th century when a Victorian house, formerly a shop, and attendant barns were attached to the house via a large arched gateway.
Some of the features retained in the house include a stone floor that is over 350 years old and a Royal Mail postbox that dates back to Queen Victoria’s reign.
The unusual detail of the thatched house with its steep roof, eaves gutter and tall chimney is unique in Northern Ireland, according to the Department for Communities.
This means the house appears to the passer-by as two dwellings, each with a front door, but it is in fact a single dwelling which for most of the past century has been home to the Maccombe family.
Murray Maccombe (64) is the third generation of his family to live in the magnificent dwelling, which sits on a three-acre site.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Mr Maccombe said he has fond memories of the house going back to his early years.
He said: “My grandfather Robert Henry Maccombe bought this house around 1926 and it has been in our family since, but the original owner was a man called Hugh McCullagh.
“At the time my grandfather bought it, it was a farmhouse but also a grocers shop/hardware store and it stayed like that until 1931 when he opened a shop separate from the house.
“I have very clear memories of visiting my grandparents and obviously living there when my father Alan took it over.
“My father passed away in 1999 but my mother stayed on, on her own.
“I moved in with my own family in 2011 and I will be sad to leave the house, but really it has outgrown my wife and I.
“Our two daughters are away at university and the reality it the house is too large for us to upkeep, especially the gardens, but it will be a great buy for someone.”
The house is being sold for Mr Maccombe by Donnybrook Estate Agents in Derry for offers over £475,000.
Stephen McCarron said he expects that the house will attract a lot of interest.
He said: “We are delighted to have this magnificent property on our books for sale and there has been interest shown already from people in the UK and further afield.
“It is a property steeped in history but also comes with so much potential for development and I am optimistic it will have a new owner before long.”
Further details and an appointment to view can be arranged through Donnybrook Estate Agents on 028 7137 7979
Belfast Telegraph
