Rathkenny, Cootehill, Co Cavan
Bence-Jones, Mark. A Guide to Irish Country Houses (originally published as Burke’s Guide to Country Houses volume 1 Ireland by Burke’s Peerage Ltd. 1978); Revised edition 1988 Constable and Company Ltd, London.
p. 239. “(Lucas-Clements/IFR) a two storey Classical block of 1820s by William Farrell, built for Theophilus Lucas-Clements with money given to him by his cousin, Harriet, whose father, Capt John Clements, made a considerable fortune commanding a ship in the East India Company service. Pedimented entrance front; four bay side elevation; three bay garden front, facing the river. Strip-pilasters between windows and at corners; entablatures on console brackets over ground floor windows; roof largely concealed by parapet. The house was greatly prolonged by an office wing and conservatory, which were demolished 1920. High, well-proportioned rooms, compactly arranged; simple cornices; drawing room opening into library with double doors. Across the river from the house is a delightful early C18 garden, full of yew and box, with walls of faded red brick and a Georgian Gothic “tea house”. The garden, laid out by Elizabeth (nee Sandford), widow of Robert Clements, MP, who alighted on the previous house, which stood on the opposite bank of the river a short distance from the present one. Now, as at various times in the past, there is a bridge; but it is said that at one time in C18, the only way to get from the house to the garden was by boat; enabling the men to make merry in the tea house, in sight of their womenfolk, but out of their reach. Percy French wrote Ballyjamesduff while staying here.”
Detached Regency-style three-bay two-storey country house, built 1829, with astylar pedimented breakfront and advanced end piers. Hipped slate roof with tall rendered stacks and terracotta pots behind blocking course over cornice and ashlar frieze with central pediment. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Rubble stone walls, formerly rendered, with sandstone ashlar quoins, and limestone ashlar plinth course to height of entrance steps. Ashlar sandstone block-and-start window surrounds to upper floor windows. Ashlar limestone surrounds to ground floor windows with panels under sills and bracketed entablatures. Six-over-six sliding-sash timber windows. Bracketed entablature motif elaborated over the entrance door and side lights having six-over-four timber sash windows, limestone architrave of door contrasts to sandstone of side-lights. Four-bay side elevations with advanced centre bays and end piers, bracketed entablatures over ground floor windows. Rear three-bay elevation facing river with bracketed entablatures to ground-floor windows and full-height pilasters between the bays. Lower two-storey return to north-west elevation. Retaining interior features and fittings. Stable and farmyards beyond to the west ranged along the river. Set in an older demesne straddling the Annalee River, sited across river from earlier house of which only the terraced walled gardens survive. Gardens set out in terraces with central path framed by yew trees reached by concrete footbridge in central axis. Gothic-style Georgian tea house aligned with central path faced in red brick with rusticated quoins and battlemented parapet with limestone copings over a wide plat band. Gardens originally aligned on the previous house open onto the river to the south with stone quay walls to river bank.
Appraisal
A sizeable four-square Regency-style house built for Theopholis Lucas-Clements to designs by William Farrell (d. 1851). The house has a finely executed formal exterior framed by double-height pilasters, using contrasting details in sandstone and finely wrought limestone. It is located within an historic older demesne, possibly dating to the Jacobean period when the Clements family were first established here. The terraced walled garden and Georgian tea house survive from an earlier formally designed landscape, predating the surrounding naturalistic park in the English landscape manner. A ringfort site enclosed by traces of an earthen bank located within a plantation of coniferous trees north-east of the walled garden forms an earlier layer to the palimpsest of this fascinating demesne straddling the Annalee River. The site also encompasses stable and farm courtyards of high quality as well as a gate lodge.
Detached L-plan multiple-bay two-storey stable block, built c.1830, with later single-storey lean-to adjoining to the west, tall walls to south and east creating a courtyard. Pitched slate roof with clay ridge tiles and oversailing barge stones, rendered brick chimneystack with string courses, cast-iron rainwater goods. Limestone rubble walls with brick surrounds to square-headed window and door openings. Ground floor windows and door recessed within wider elliptical-headed brick arches. Some replacement casement windows, some louvred windows to upper floor, with stone sills. Limestone ashlar gate piers on plinth with square cap and plainly treated gate stops. Set beside the Annalee River to the west of Rathkenny House within the historic demesne
Appraisal
A well constructed stable block probably by William Farrell, who designed the main house for Theophilus Lucas-Clements in 1829. The stables built of rubble limestone with brick dressings and ashlar gate piers are well maintained and from part of a well-maintained demense ensemble which demonstrates the workings of a substantial country house of the early nineteenth century.
Detached rectangular-plan three-bay single-storey tea house in Georgian Gothic style, built c.1730. Red brick walls with rusticated ashlar quoins and a battlemented parapet of brick merlons over a limestone platband. Tall lancet windows flanking central pointed arch doorway with timber battened tympanum over double-leaf doors with twin cusped pointed arched panels above short flight of limestone steps. Set between low quadrant walls terminating in urn-topped brick piers. Axially arranged terraced walled garden of earlier date, and approached by a metal footbridge on the central axis. Garden descends to river in three terraces terminating at a retaining quay wall level to the ground. Side walls descend to river with terminating octagonal ashlar piers with base at quay side having cornice and surmounting urn. Central path with flights of steps flanked by urn-topped brick piers and Irish yew trees rising to the summer house on the back wall of the garden. Located within Rathkenny Demesne on the opposite bank of the Annalee River to Rathkenny House.
Appraisal
A visitor in 1739 admired how the river at Rathkenny was ‘beautified by an elegant house, improvements and large plantations on the S shore, and on its N bank by extensive gardens and terraces’. While the rusticated quoins and plat band suggest that the tea house is of early Georgian date, the terraced gardens open to the river may retain elements of an earlier designed landscape, associated with an earlier Jacobean house. The Ordnance Survey map of 1836 records the foot bridge further to the west on a different alignment. It also records a ringfort east of the tea-house, indicating that this location was occupied at two different eras of the county’s history. A similar exotic garden landscape at nearby Ballyhaise survives only in a written description, making this intact formal demesne landscape all the more important.
https://www.archiseek.com/1829-rathkenny-house-cootehill-co-cavan/
https://theirishaesthete.com/2016/10/10/rathkenny/
In 1739 an Anglican clergyman called William Henry wrote a descriptive account of the area around Ulster’s Upper Lough Erne in which he mentioned that a river (which he calls ‘of Ballyhaise’ but which is now known as the Annalee) ‘ murmurs by Rathkenny, the seat of the Clements’ family. Here the river is beautified by an elegant house, improvements and large plantations on the southern shore, and on its northern bank by extensive gardens and terraces.’ It appears that Daniel Clements, originally from Warwickshire, came to Ireland in the 1640s as a soldier and by 1657 was in possession of the estate of almost 2,000 acres at Rathkenny, County Cavan which remained in the possession of his descendants (whose name in the 19th century became Lucas-Clements) until sold just a few years ago. His son Robert succeeded to the property in 1680 and remained there until his own death in 1722. One of Robert’s sons was Nathaniel, of whom mention has been made here before (see A Man of Taste and Influence, August 3rd 2015).
The Clements family would seem to have built a house for themselves on the south bank of the river which bisected their property. Nothing is known of the appearance or character of this building since it was demolished, likely around the late 1820s when work began on a new residence. This neo-classical block was designed by William Farrell who was the architect for a number of other such places in the vicinity. A sunken lawn to the immediate east appears to indicate where was the previous house but directly across the river is a survivor from the earlier property: a terraced walled garden. Today this is approached by a narrow concrete bridge but presumably something more elegant once offered access, since the garden itself is rather splendid. Cut limestone walls support banks on either side of limestone gate piers: paths to the immediate left and right lead to enclosing red brick walls which, on the river frontage, conclude in tall piers topped with urns. A gate to the east leads beyond the wall to the remains of a small pavilion built on the water’s edge; only one wall of this remains with a gothic arched window at its centre. One has a sense of what this little building must have been like since at the top and centre of the main terraces (supported by a sequence of low brick walls) is a summer house. Flanked by quadrant walls it is in the gothick style, constructed of brick with stone quoins, a battlemented parapet and arched windows on each side of the door. Inside is a single high-ceilinged room which once had further windows, since blocked up, and a chimneypiece which has gone. To the rear of the building there is access to another room below: one imagines this was used by servants looking after the needs of those upstairs.
Relatively little is known of the history of the walled garden at Rathkenny: Lucas-Clements lore proposed that it dated to 1695, which means construction soon after Robert Clements returned from England (he had been attainted by James II’s parliament in 1689 and fled to England) and around the time he became high sheriff of County Cavan. Nothing like it survives in this part of the country, but evidently at one point it was not the only such terraced garden. In 1739 the aforementioned Rev. Henry wrote of Ballyhaise, some nine miles to the west, ‘‘This seat, for beauty and magnificence, may vie with any in Ireland. There is an ascent to it by several terraces from the river, which are adorned with ponds, jets d’eau, fruit and flowers.’ Designed for Colonel Brockhill Newburgh, probably in the third decade of the 18th century, and attributed to Sir Edward Lovett Pearce, the main house at Ballyhaise is of red brick with cut stone dressings: with later additions the building survives although the river-fronting terraced gardens are long gone (for more on Ballyhaise, see Made to Last For Ever, March 9th 2015). Then barely three miles to the east of Rathkenny is Bellamont Forest (La Belle au Bois Dormant, January 21st 2013), another red-brick and stone house almost certainly designed by Pearce, and then a few miles further north again are the remains of the former early 18th century stables at Dartrey, County Monaghan (Now Unstable, October 1st 2014), once more employing the same materials. One has the impression that even if the same architect was not involved in all these neighbouring estates, the same spirit was at work, and the same influences and tastes being shared. More research remains to be done in this area but meanwhile the terraced gardens at Rathkenny are a rare survivor from the early Georgian period. Thankfully the property’s new owner appreciates their significance and is ensuring that they will continue to offer us an insight into early 18th century horticultural design.
A place they called home for 400 years
May 10 2012
CO CAVAN €2 MILLION:‘I will be very sorry to go, but it will be lovely if someone nice moves in. It needs to have a family in it,’ the owner of historic Georgian mansion tells EMMA CULLINANE
AFTER SPENDING nearly 400 years in Rathkenny House, Tullyvin, Cootehill, Co Cavan, the Lucas-Clements family is selling up.
The substantial eight-bedroom Georgian house on 256 acres is for sale asking in excess of €2 million through Knight Frank.
This wasn’t the first house on the site though. That was a smaller Jacobian house (from the time of James I) on the other side of the Annalee River from the “new” house and there is still a Jacobian walled garden in the grounds, constructed in 1695.
“The story has it,” says the current owner Rosemary Lucas-Clements, “that they got fed up with the first house, set up a canon and blew it up.” Luckily, she says, they were good shots because it is not too far from the current house, built between 1760 and 1820, “and they could have hit it”.
The foundations of the old home are still there, if you dig down a bit, a task usually undertaken by dogs going about their investigations.
This four-bay Georgian house – almost in a square but with a kitchen and bedroom wing – looks like a complete composition, but there was actually a much larger wing attached to it which was taken down in the 1920s.
“There was an old girl left alone in it after her husband died,” says Ms Lucas-Clements, “and she wanted to downsize because everything was getting in a bad state and she wanted to keep the main part of the house going.”
The river runs close to the front of the house which is reached via a gravel drive.
While the house is huge, it works as a family home, a role it has played many times over the centuries. “Although it’s a big house it’s not a rambling one,” says Ms Lucas-Clements. “Every one who comes here says it has a good atmosphere. We’ve had good parties here.”
Many of these have been held in the interconnecting library and drawing room on the ground floor which is to the right of the main hall.
The house is laid out around an inner hall on the ground floor and a landing above, reached via a grand staircase passing a large window on the return.
Also on the ground floor is a study to the left of the entrance hall and, at the back, is a dining room, kitchen and utility room. Upstairs, there are eight bedrooms and two bathrooms.
There are period features throughout, including fireplaces, large sash windows and shutters, plasterwork, wooden architraves, flagstone floors and mahogany doors. The decor is in keeping with the house’s architectural style.
The reception rooms have views of the river which, the day before our conversation had yielded one of its many trout for dinner, caught by a friend. And views from all of the rooms are of the surrounding parkland and trees.
The property also includes a farm manager’s house (facing onto a courtyard), stables, a workshop, storerooms and outhouses. There is also a farmyard, with barns, milking parlour, cow houses, slatted sheds, cubicles, silage pits, an outdoor sand arena and saw mills.
Over its centuries in the house, the family has been part of the local political scene, holding offices including Mayor of Cavan.
Some of the Clements side of the family moved to Leitrim and, indeed, four of them bore the title Earl of Leitrim.
The first earl, Nathaniel Clements, was chief ranger of Phoenix Park who built the viceroy lodge, now Áras an Uactaráin.
Sadly, the third Earl let the family down for a while. A tough landlord, dubbed the Wicked Earl, he met an untimely death, when he was assassinated in 1878, along with his clerk and driver.
So this house comes with plenty of history but happiness reigns here now. “It always had a nice friendly feeling,” says Ms Lucas-Clements. “I will be very sorry to go, but it will be lovely if someone nice moves in. It needs to have a family in it.”
https://www.independent.ie/business/farming/rathkenny-treasure-sells-for-close-to-2m-28946853.htmlRathkenny treasure sells for close to €2m
Jim O’Brien, Dec 11 2012
Close to the €2m asking price is understood to have been paid for Rathkenny House on c.252ac at Tullyvin, Co Cavan. The property was sold by private treaty in the last week.
The house and 240ac were bought by an Irish native based in Saudi Arabia. A parcel of 12ac was sold to a local person.
The property has been in the same family since 1645 and this is the first time it has ever been sold, according to Robert Ganly of selling agents, Knight Frank.
Rathkenny comprises a substantial period house on 252ac on the River Annalee. It is believed to have the earliest Jacobean walled garden and tearoom in the country, dating back to 1695.
“This was the biggest farm to come on the market in Cavan in many years and the strength of the market is demonstrated by the number of viewings, totalling 54,” said Mr Ganly.
There were three bidders for the house and lands, with the main contenders being the eventual purchaser and a customer based in Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, at Clerihan, Clonmel in south Tipperary a residential holding extending to 100ac with two dwellings and two farmyards sold at auction for €965,000.
The property was initially offered in a number of lots but the primary interest was in the entire. It was bought by a local farmer for the equivalent of €9,650/ac.
Auctioneer PF Quirke described the property as a fine grass farm originally set out in two holdings.
One of the houses is in need of complete refurbishment while the other, a three-bedroom bungalow, is in relatively good repair. The two farmyards consist of a range of sheds and livestock accommodation.
Irish Historic Houses 