Leixlip House, Leixlip, Co Kildare
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. 183. “(Nesbitt, sub Beaumont-Nesbitt/LGI1958; West sub Colthurst/PB; Carvill, sub Eustace-Duckett/IFR) A three storey five bay mid-C18 house, with a two storey bow-fronted wing. The home of Gen. Brady, whose daughter married J.D.Nesbitt 1800. In the present century, the home of A.W. West, and more rectly, of Mr and Mrs Michael Carroll.”
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.
p. 85. A very attractive early to mid 18C house. Good interior. A bow fronted wing was added in the early 19C. Recently destroyed by fire. Now a ruin.
Leixlip House (Hotel), Captain’s Hill, NEWTOWN (LEIXLIP ED), Leixlip, County Kildare
Detached five-bay three-storey over basement house, built 1772, possibly retaining some early fenestration with two-bay three-storey shallow return to rear to north-west. Extended, c.1875, comprising four-bay three-storey recessed wing to right (east) with single-bay three-storey red brick bowed projecting to centre. Renovated, c.1990. Now in use as hotel. Hipped roof with slate. Clay ridge tiles. Rendered chimney stacks. Cast-iron rainwater goods on eaves course. Flat-roofed to wing behind parapet walls. Materials not visible. Coursed squared rubble limestone walls. Coursed squared rubble limestone walls to wing with red brick to bowed projecting bay. Irregular coursed rubble stone to rear elevations to north. Shallow segmental-headed window openings to ground floor. Square-headed window openings to remainder (including wing) with some round-headed window openings to rear to north. Stone sills. Red brick dressings to some openings. Cut-stone voussoirs. 6/6 and 6/3 timber sash windows (possibly original). Some replacement uPVC casement windows, c.1990. Square-headed door opening approached by flight of four cut-stone steps. Cut-stone surround with moulded cornice and lintel over having double keystone. Timber panelled door. Fixed-pane sidelights. Set back from road in own grounds. Tarmacadam forecourt/carpark to front. Section of iron railings to basement. Gateway, c.1775, to south comprising pair of cut-stone piers with moulded capping having ball finials. Renovated, c.1990, and relocated to current position with replacement iron gates.
Appraisal
Leixlip House (Hotel) is a fine and imposing late eighteenth-century house that has been well-maintained to present an early aspect. The house is of considerable social and historical significance, representing the dwellings of the prosperous class in Leixlip in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Originally composed on an almost symmetrical plan of graceful Classical proportions centred about a fine cut-stone doorcase, the house was extended in the late nineteenth century to include a recessed wing having a bowed bay feature typical of the period of construction. The construction of both portions of the house in coursed squared limestone walls with cut-stone dressings is a fine example of the high quality of stone masonry traditionally practised in the locality – this is particularly evident in the doorcase, which has retained a crisp intricacy. The house appears to retain many important early or original features and materials, including multi-pane timber sash fenestration and a slate roof having cast-iron rainwater goods – some of the windows to the rear (north) elevation have been replaced with inappropriate uPVC models and this ought to be discouraged in future renovation works. The retention of an early external aspect suggests that the house may retain early or original features and materials to the interior. The original context of the house is now lost, the grounds having been partitioned for the purpose of residential developments and the gateway has been relocated to a new entrance in to the grounds. Originally composed of stone work of similar quality to the house, the repointing undertaken in the relocation of the piers has resulted in badly formed joints, and this ought to be addressed in future works to the site.
€1m for boutique hotel in Co Kildare
Georgian manor house was converted into 19-bedroom Leixlip House Hotel in 1996
Wed, Feb 18, 2015, 01:16
Hotel and bar operator the Towey Group is to sell the prestigious Leixlip House Hotel in Leixlip, Co Kildare.
John Ryan, of CBRE, is quoting €1 million for the 19-bedroom boutique hotel, which has captured a good share of the wedding market in the area.
The Georgian manor house dates back to 1774 and was cleverly converted into hotel use in 1996 without losing any of its elegance and style. Good use has been made of the available space to accommodate a restaurant and a function room .
The 19 bedrooms include five superior rooms and 10 standard rooms in the main house and four more in the coach house. All rooms come with TV, direct-dial telephone and tea and coffee facilities.
The ground floor includes a reception area, a lounge bar and the award-winning Bradaun Restaurant, which can seat 50 diners. The function room, with its own private entrance and bar, can accommodate up to 140 diners. There is a lapsed planning permission to convert the basement area from use as storage to a new bar and lounge.
John Ryan says the sale offers “an excellent opportunity to acquire a beautifully appointed and unique boutique hotel that oozes charm and character”. It also has the advantage of an established level of turnover, much of it coming from wedding receptions.
Irish Historic Houses 