Lisgoole Abbey, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh

Mark Bence-Jones. 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. 185. “(Johnston/LGI1958) A two storey three bay gable-ended Georgian house with a battlemented tower at one end. Fanlighted doorway; large window inserted subsequently in bay to right of doorway, and large Wyatt window in base of tower.

http://lordbelmontinnorthernireland.blogspot.com/2014/04/lisgoole-abbey.html

www.nihgt.org/resources/pdf/Register_of_Parks_Gardens_Demesnes-NOV20.pdf

LISGOOLE ABBEY, County Fermanagh (AP FERMANAGH AND OMAGH 07) F/018 
GRADE A 
The Abbey name is derived from the fact that this was an Early Christian monastic site, occupied 
later by the Augustinians and the Franciscans. The present demesne (370 acres/150ha), much of 
which appears to date from the later 18th century, flanks the west and south banks of the Upper 
Lough Erne channel in an undulating landscape, 1.3 miles (2km) south of Enniskillen. The main 
house (Listed HB 12/19/035) and offices, visible from the Killyhevlin, lies just above a private quay 
on the west edge of the lough channel. There are references to a garden here belonging to the 
first owner after the Dissolution in the 16th century, but no evidence of this remains. The 
Attorney-General, Sir John Davies, held the ‘Manor of Lisgoole’ under the Plantation Settlement 
and after his death in 1626 the ‘fair stone house, but no bawn’ at Lisgoole passed to his daughter, 
Lady Hastings (d 1679); however, in 1641 this house was destroyed by the rebels and was the 
scene of an infamous massacre of men, women and children. There was a house here from at 
least the 1680s, which in 1698 was leased to Thomas Smith, brother-in-law of William Conolly 
M.P., who retained a ‘credible house at the Castle of Lisgoole’ into the early 1720s. It was 
subsequently leased in 1739 to James Armstrong, who acquired the freehold in 1758. His nephew 
John Armstrong, who inherited in 1777, was evidently responsible for the present two-storey 
Regency style villa, though this undoubtably also incorporates Smith’s earlier residence, while the 
squat square ‘tower’ may be a remnant of the Plantation or monastic era. After experiencing 
some financial difficulties, Armstrong sold the property in 1819 to Michael Jones of Cherrymount,  
Co. Donegal, who later undertook some ‘improvements’, most probably remodelling the windows 
on the entrance front and extending the return; the romantic Irish ‘stepped’ battlements on the 
house may have been added at this time (later extended c.1913). The associated yard and office 
buildings, which lie on the south-west side of the house, are mostly of mid and late 19th century 
in date, but incorporate earlier range in the south side. South of this, and also located on the 
slope above the lough waters, is the part-walled kitchen garden (0.85 acres/0.34ha), which is still 
utilised, though largely as an ornamental garden. This garden and of an adjacent orchard (1.1 
acres/0.45ha) which formerly lay on its west side were created in the mid 19th century, replacing 
an earlier kitchen garden (1.36 acres/0.55ha) and orchard on the same site, but probably enclosed 
behind hedges rather than walls. The present part-walled garden, which is bounded on its south 
side by a demesne roadway and on its north by a narrow slip garden (with lean-to garden ranges) 
is today largely covered with lawns and ornamental woody plants, clipped hedges, accessed by 
paths which in part follow the original layout. The garden is screened on its north and south sides 
by deciduous woodland, beyond which, on the north, is a modern complex of farm buildings. 
Most of the woodland on the demesne lies west of the house and gardens, mostly in the adjacent 
townland of Culky. This includes a large woodland block of 25 acres (10.5ha) and a smaller block 
at the west end, all shown on the 1830s OS map and probably c.1800 in date. At the west end is 
the gate lodge, Italianate in style with a symmetrical frontage, rendered walls, semicircular- 
headed windows and flat-roofed porch, probably built around 1850 when the main entrance to 
the demesne was moved south-westwards (into Culky townland) with the building of the new 
road to Derrylin. This lodge is shown unmarked on the 1857 OS map, but is referred to as a 
‘lodge’ on that of 1906. The identity of the architect is not known. A rear extension was added in 
1979 to designs by Richard Pierce. The central and north side of the demesne is intensively 
farmed and many parkland trees had gone by the beginning of the 20th century. North of the 
house is an area of specimen trees and shrubs, which mostly date from the early 20th century, set 
in grass with a small ‘rustic’ timber summer house c.1920 in the NE corner of the rose garden; 
there is also a maintained ornamental garden and pergola here Demesne buildings are in 
generally good order. SMR: FERM 211:43 abbey site and 211:68 tree ring. Private.