Kildevin, Street, Co Westmeath
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. 167. “(Tyndall/LG1952 supp) A two storey late-Georgian house built 1833 by Robert Sproule, possibly a member of the family of architects of that name. Two storey; one bay on either side of deep central bow, which is balustraded and rises a storey above the rest of the front and continues as a balustraded attic through the depth of the house to form a similar bow at the back, facing the farmyard. Entrance door in bow, with pilasters and entablature. Bracket cornice. Subsequently the home of Mr and Mrs H.S.Tyndall.”
Detached three-bay two-storey over a basement (to rear) country house, dated 1833, with projecting three-storey semi-circular bow to centre of front façade (northwest) and a four-storey (over basement) semi-circular bow to the centre of the rear façade (southeast), containing the staircase, both with balustraded parapets. Currently being restored after been derelict for a number of years and in use as a private dwelling. Hipped natural slate roof with cut stone eaves cornice with paired brackets to eaves and ashlar limestone chimneystacks having decorative terracotta chimney pots over. Constructed of squared coursed limestone rubble. Square-headed window openings with six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows, three-over-three pane to top level of bow projection to front and three-over-six to top storey of bow to rear. Square-headed doorcase to front bow (northwest) having cut limestone doorcase, which curves around bow, having Doric pilasters on square-plan supporting emphatic cornice over. Sheeted timber double doors having inscribed limestone lintel over with ‘Robert Sproule 1833’. Front door reached by flight of cut stone steps flanked by balustraded parapets to either side. Curved screen walls with balustraded parapet run away from house to either end of the entrance front (northwest). Set back from the road in extensive mature grounds to the north of Streete with extensive collection of outbuildings to the rear (15400211) and with main entrance gates to the west and northwest.
Appraisal
A very fine and quite distinctive county house, which retains its early character and form. There is a boldness to the design of this house, with the dramatic full height bows making it a building that could well be of a unique design. The appearance of this structure is quite imposing and, perhaps even a bit daunting, with the projecting towers giving it an appearance that has been described as being ‘vaguely naval’ and ‘institutional’. It is built using robust local limestone, which is almost ashlar in quality, and this helps to reinforce the robust nature of this structure. Kildevin house is currently undergoing a very thorough and sensitive restoration, of which the present owners must be complimented. This house was built to designs by the original owner, Robert Sproule, who was a magistrate in the Streete area during the mid nineteenth-century. Sproule was an authoritarian figure of much local notoriety and, apparently, he used the basement of Kildevin House as a temporary prison from time to time. Cast-iron chains and restraining devices are still insitu according to local information. A ‘police station’ was located to the west of the house, within the grounds of Kildevin, adjacent to the main road in 1837 (Ordnance Survey Map). Perhaps the curious designs to Kildevin House can be attributed to the authoritarian nature of Sproule as he could have used the balustraded towers to keep an eye on local activities and, subsequently, for intimidation purposes. It was later the home of the Tyndall Family and of an Edith Wise, a cousin of William Butler Yeats and it is believed that Yates stayed in the house on several occasions. Kildevin House forms the centrepiece of an interesting group of related structures with the outbuildings to the rear (15400211) and the main gates to the west and constitutes an important element of the architectural heritage and history of the area.
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. 141. Very interesting two storey house built in 1833 with three storey bow in the centre of both front and rere facades. Signed Robert Sproule 1833 above the doorcase, presumably a member of the family of architects and builders of the same name. Interesting plan with oval entrance hall. Derelict.
482 in 2017
Kildevin House
Kildevin, Street, Co Westmeath
John Matthews
Tel: 087-9290421
Open: May 4-31, June 12-30, July 1-22, closed Sundays and Bank Holidays, 9am- 1pm
Fee: Adult/OAP/ Student €5, Child €2
Kildevin house is a fully restored Georgian-style mansion on 88ac near Streete in Co Westmeath. The land is in a mixture of grazing and forestry and the entire comes to market with a guide price of €950,000.
Located in its own townland of Ballykildevin the property is 2km from Streete, 25km from Mullingar, 27km from Longford and just over an hour from Dublin.
While technically built in the early Victorian era it has all the feel of a Georgian pile.
The place is steeped in history and was once home to Meredith Merry Johnston who played rugby for Ireland between 1877 and 1884 and captained the team to its first international rugby win.
Meredith’s wife Edith Mary Jane Wise was a first cousin of William B Yeats and according to Celia Lamb of selling agents Ganley Walters there is reason to believe that the great poet himself visited the house on more than one occasion.
Prior to this the occupants of Kildevin were more notorious than salubrious. The Sproule family built the house in 1833 and one Robert Sproule was known as “an authoritarian figure of much local notoriety’ who emigrated to Australian ‘under duress’ in 1847. No one knows what happened him in the then penal colony but his death notice was found in Adelaide as recently as 2013.
From 1916 the place changed hands a few times and when bought by its current owners in 1998 it was in a state of considerable disrepair.
The new owners undertook a huge project to bring the place back to its former glory. According to Ms Lamb it was restored with great sensitivity and an attention to detail that ensured the integrity of the house.
The residence is approached through a tree lined avenue passing through its own parkland and leading to a broad gravel forecourt. A three-bay, two-storey, over basement structure the building has a projecting, three story semi circular bow to the centre and front of the façade.
The house proper is entered via a flight of stone steps with balustrade parapets on either side. A unique oval hall leads to the main reception rooms that include a drawing room, morning room and study. There is also an office, dining room, seven bedrooms, four bathrooms and a cellar. The kitchen is located on the lower ground floor with a sitting room and three of the bedrooms, a bathroom and a jail cell. No need for a doghouse!
Four of the bedrooms are located upstairs along with two bathrooms. The original features of the house are still intact with cornices, ornate plasterwork and sash windows.
There is an extensive cut-stone courtyard to the rear of the residence where the roofs of the buildings have been restored but much work needs to be done internally. Some of the original stables are intact complete with mangers and cobbled floors.
The lands are all in one block and surround the house. Extending to 88ac a portion of 25ac is in grass while the rest is in forestry and parkland. The forestry was planted in 2002 and its 70,000 trees include beech, red oak, oak, sycamore and ash and the plantation is subject to premiums for the next six years.
Irish Historic Houses 