Tinnahinch (or Tinnehinch), Enniskerry, Co Wicklow – destroyed by fire 

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. 273. “(Grattan/IFR; Grattan-Bellew, Bt/PB) A C18 house on a beautiful situation by the Dargle River, which, together with an estate, was presented by the Irish Parliament to Henry Grattan, the great orator, statesman and Irish patriot, in gratitude for the part he played in obtaining freedom from British control 1782. the house was formerly an inn, the best in Co Wicklow, and much frequented by Grattan himself….the house was destroyed by fire this century, one storey of the ruin still stands, and has been made into a feature of the garden of the present house, which is in the former stables.”

Not in National Inventory

The Irish state and the Big House in independent Ireland, 1922–73 

Emer Crooke, B.A., M.A. 

Thesis submitted for the degree of Ph.D Jan 2014, Maynooth.

p. 111 In 1953 the Irish Independent drew attention to this gap in terms of responsibility or power to act in relation to the protection of the Big House and historic buildings generally. Its article examined whether any particular body was ‘charged with the sole responsibility of maintaining or preserving for the nation buildings of historical value’.4 Reportedly there were at least four bodies with some responsibilities in relation to historical buildings, namely: Bord Fáilte, the Land Commission, the Board of Works and An Taisce, the embryonic National Trust for Ireland which had been founded in 1948. The Irish Independent believed that the functions of all of these bodies in relation to historic buildings preservation lacked definition ‘with the result that there is some confusion as to the ultimate responsibility for the preservation of places such as the Henry Grattan house’, Tinnehinch, which had recently been partially demolished.5 They explained that a section of the Tourist Act under which Bord Fáilte had been set up the previous year had empowered the board to protect and maintain national monuments and historic buildings, sites and shrines and places of scenic or historical interest to the public. However, despite this, a spokesman for Bord Fáilte was unable to say whether the interpretation of this section was wide enough to permit them to acquire and preserve buildings, such as Tinnehinch, which were in danger of destruction and ‘would be a total loss to the nation’.6 All Bord Fáilte had been enabled to do so far was to provide amenities at places like Newgrange. The Commissioners of Public Works had a statutory responsibility for the preservation and maintenance of what were described as ‘scheduled national monuments which were of first importance historically as ancient ruins’.7 However, the paper emphasised: ‘they have no function or responsibility in the acquisition of historical buildings’.8 On the other hand, from time to time various properties with land attached could be acquired compulsorily or otherwise by the Land Commission, but not for historical reasons. Furthermore, the report emphasised: ‘neither is it obliged to preserve any building of a historical character which it acquires; and not infrequently such buildings are disposed of in other ways. Some have gone to the forestry department and others to the Department of Agriculture. Others have been demolished, the permission of the local authority having been first obtained’.9 In the view of the Irish Independent, the only one of the four bodies mentioned which had any clearly defined functions and responsibilities in this area was An Taisce, whose memorandum of incorporation as a limited company entitled it ‘to acquire by gift, purchase or grant, any lands, buildings or property of value to the nation for their historical associations or natural beauty’.10 It was also entitled to protect and improve such properties. However, An Taisce was little more than advisory in capacity as it had no funding from government to exercise its powers, unlike the English National Trust which had wide powers, government recognition and financial assistance. In contrast, An Taisce had to depend on ‘the support of its members, the interest of the public, and the goodwill of local authorities: but it has never received any official recognition’.11

4 Irish Independent, 20 Oct. 1953 

5 Ibid. 

6 Ibid. 

7 Ibid.  

8 Ibid. 

9 Ibid. 

10 Ibid. 

11 Ibid.  

p. 113. Around this time the possibility for the O.P.W.’s preservation of Tinnehinch House, county Wicklow arose. In January 1943 Allen and Townsend chartered surveyors wrote to the O.P.W. to inform them that they were instructed to offer for sale Tinnehinch, the residence of the late Sir Henry Grattan Bellew, which comprised a mansion house and lands presented by the nation to Grattan. They noted that the buildings were in poor condition but wrote that before offering the property elsewhere, they wondered if Leask’s department or the government would be interested in the property.12 In response, Leask, the Inspector of National Monuments, wrote to division C of the O.P.W. stating that, apart from the historic association of the house with Grattan, he did not see that the place had any special interest from the national monuments point of view.13 Division C of the O.P.W. was principally the drainage division although, judging by this correspondence, staff of this division were also involved with the issue of national monuments. In Leask’s opinion, Tinnehinch house was ‘not particularly distinguished’, adding: ‘it is not one of the great Georgian mansions for which the country is remarkable. The house does not appear to be one which could be treated as a national monument’.14 In March the surveyors were informed that they were not interested15 and by July the Irish Independent reported that Tinnehinch had been bought in trust by Messrs. Hardman and Sons.16 Ten years later it was partially demolished by its owners without permission.

12 Allen & Townsend chartered surveyors to H. G. Leask, 13 Jan. 1943 (National Archives of Ireland, O.P.W. files, F94/544/1). 

13 Note from H. G. Leask to division C, O.P.W., 14 Jan. 1943 (N.A.I., O.P.W. files, F94/544/1). 

14 Ibid. 

15 O.P.W. to Messrs. Allen & Townsend, 3 Mar. 1943 (N.A.I., O.P.W. files, F94/544/1). 

16 Irish Independent, 19 July 1943.  

P. 114 As a result of the frequency of such cases, in 1945 H. G. Leask and J. Rafferty, joint honorary secretaries of the N.M.A.C., wrote to the O.P.W. to say that the council had discussed: 

the wholesale demolition of 18th and 19th century mansions which has taken place in recent years. These houses represent an important phase in the country’s politico-social and cultural history and the council deplores the fact that a large number of them have been destroyed without any records of their features having been made.17 

They went on to say that while the council was of the opinion that, in the absence of special legislation, there was no effective method of taking preventative action in cases of threatened destruction, they considered that ‘in the cases where such houses are vested in or under the control of the Land Commission that that department might be asked to give notice of intended demolitions in order to give an opportunity for having surveys and records of any which may possess features of artistic interest’18 and they requested this be brought to the attention of the Land Commission. The O.P.W. was willing to enquire into the feasibility of this suggestion and on 12 April 1945 the O.P.W. wrote to the Land Commission enquiring if they would comply.19 The Department of Lands replied that they would ‘in future give them notice of any demolition of 18th and 19th century mansions contemplated by the department’.20 This illustrates that the Land Commission was willing to agree with such a request to create a record of these mansions, even though it would presumably delay its staff’s plans or work on the demolition or sale of the structures on its hands.

17 H. G. Leask and J. Rafferty, joint honorary secretaries of the N.M.A.C., to the secretary of the O.P.W., 26 Mar. 1945 (N.A.I., O.P.W. files, F94/574/1). 

18 Ibid.

19 W. J. Veale, a/s secretary of the O.P.W. to the secretary of the Land Commission, 12 Apr. 1945 (N.A.I., O.P.W. files, F94/574/1). 

20 [D. F.] Nally, secretary of the Department of Lands to the secretary of the O.P.W., 25 Apr. 1945 (N.A.I., O.P.W. files, F94/574/1).  

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. 155. “A large 18C house formerly an inn of three storeys with a five bay recessed centre which had a single bay pedimented breakfront, flanked by single bay wings (possibly later additions) of only two floors but of the same overall height. Seat of Henry Grattan. The house has been demolished except for the ground floor front wall of the entrance front which now forms an attractive garden feature.”