Castle Mary, Cloyne, Co Cork – ‘lost’  

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. 73. “(Longfield/IFR) A three storey late C17 and early C18 house with three bay recessed centre and one bay projecting wings, for which the architect Davis Duckart is recorded as having designed a “difficult” roof. Camber headed windows with scrolled pediments. REbuilt as a castle late C19 with a square tower. Burnt 1920, after which the family made a house in the stable quadrangle.” 

Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.

“An interesting three storey late 17C and early 18C house with a recessed three bay centre flanked by single bay projecting wings. The walls of these wings at ground floor level have a very distinct “batter.” The pedimented doorcase was late 18C with engaged columns having “Tower of the Winds” capitals. The architect Davis Duckart is recorded as having designed a “difficult” roof for the house. The house was much altered in the late nineteenth century, in the “baronial” style. A seat of the Longfields. It was destroyed by fire in 1920. Now a ruin. A good stable court survives.”

The Buildings of Ireland. Cork City and County. Frank Keohane. Yale University Press: New Haven and London. 2020. 

p. 24. Also during the first half of the C18, a small group of “towered” houses were built. Glanmire House (now Colaiste an Phiarsaigh) and Mohera House (Castlelyons) have projecting single-bay corner blocks, Annesgrove at Carrigtwohill and the rectory at Schull (1724) have been lost. Unlike in other parts of Ireland, few medieval tower houses continued to be inhabited into the C18 and C19. Exceptions include Castle Mary (Cloyne) and Duarrigle Castle (Millstreet), where the towers were fully incorporated within new houses. At Castle Widenham (Castletownroche) and Castle Salem (Rosscarbery), the new houses took the form of largely independent wings added to the tower. 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/20908824/castle-mary-castlemary-co-cork

Detached country house, built c. 1680, altered c. 1740, substantially altered and extended c. 1880. Former five-bay three-storey Georgian house with projecting end-bays, Gothic extension and features later additions. Irregular-plan, comprising two-bay three-storey recessed section with projecting porch, flanked by single-bay three-storey tower with two-storey bay window to east and by stepped single- and two-bay four-stage projecting tower to west. Six-bay three-storey garden elevation with single-bay single-storey flat-roofed porch to east. Now in ruins. Rendered crenellated parapets with rendered cornices and rendered chimneystacks. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Rendered walls with render quoins and plinth courses. Square-headed openings with rendered surrounds, transoms and mullions. Camber-headed openings with render surrounds incorporating projecting and dropped keystone details. Segmental-headed opening to west elevation with render surround incorporating projecting and dropped keystone. Retains doorcase comprising flanking columns with decorative fluted and foliate capitals, architrave, frieze and cornice with dentilated pediment. Red brick walls to interior 

Built in the late seventeenth century, renowned eighteenth century architect Davis Ducart worked on the house during one of its phases of renovation. The nineteenth century renovations created a complicated plan and variety of blocks, and it is to this period that the building owes it romantic Gothic appearance. Features such as the crenellations, doorcase, window surrounds and ornament cast-iron, along with the irregular-plan, combine to create the fanciful character. The several gate lodges and extensive outbuildings are indicators of the former importance and influence of this country house.

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/20908825/castle-mary-castlemary-co-cork

Former outbuilding complex, built c. 1730, renovated c. 1925 to accommodate use as house. North range comprising three-bay two-storey main block with gabled breakfront to front (south) elevation, and hipped-roofed projection flanked by links and bay windows to north elevation with flanking two-bay two-storey blocks having gablets to south elevations and bay window to north elevation of east block. East and west ranges comprising multiple-bay two-storey blocks with taller central bays having integral carriage arches. South range comprising multiple-bay two-storey block with central taller four-bay block and integral carriage arch. Pitched slate roofs with rendered chimneystacks. Render copings to main block. Rendered walls to main block. Rubble stone walls to other blocks. Camber-headed openings with timber casement windows to south elevation of main block. Square-headed openings to north elevation of main block with fixed pane timber windows. Camber-arched openings to west elevation of east block with red brick block-and-start surrounds, timber casement and plate glass windows. Lunette window above carriage arch with plate glass window and red brick voussoirs. Camber-arched openings to east elevation of west block with red brick block-and-start surrounds, timber casement windows to ground floor and three-over-three pane timber sliding sash windows to first floor. Lunette window to central bay with tripartite three-over-three flanked by fixed pane timber sliding sash window. Camber-headed openings to north elevation of south block with plate glass windows and red brick block-and-start surrounds. Cut stone sills to some window openings. Camber-headed and square-headed openings to east, south and west elevations with timber casement windows and fixed timber windows. Camber-headed opening to south elevation of north range with stepped render surround with keystone detail, timber battened door and overlight. Camber-headed door openings to east, west and south ranges with replacement timber doors. Elliptical-arched integral carriage arches having rubble stone voussoirs. 

Substantial group of outbuildings retaining much of original form and fabric, including intact retention of square design around courtyard. Varying rooflines to central bays of ranges and symmetrically typical features of consciously designed outbuildings of era. Other characteristic features are carriage arches and lunette windows. Forms impressive feature on landscape setting, particularly due to projections to north elevation of north range. Forms a group with Castle Mary to north and other demesne structures to south and east. Renovated to accommodate residential use following the burning of Castle Mary.