Barraghcore House, Goresbridge, Co Kilkenny 

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. 33. “(Fleming/LGI1904) A two storey Georgian house with a Wyatt window above a pedimented and fanlighted porch. Two bays on one side of the centre, triple windows on the other. Vast castellated mill with turrets and machiocoulis at corner of demesne.” 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/12402103/barraghcore-house-duninga-coresbridge-co-kilkenny

Detached four-bay two-storey Classical-style country house with dormer attic, c.1850, possibly over basement incorporating fabric of earlier house, c.1725, on site with three-bay single-storey flat-roofed projecting porch to ground floor, single-bay two-storey advanced end bay to right, single-bay two-storey side elevation having canted bay window to ground floor, four-bay two-storey range along rear (west) elevation having single-bay full-height gabled advanced bay, and three-bay two-storey return to south-west. Hipped slate roof on an L-shaped plan (pitched slate roof to parallel range continuing into return on an L-shaped plan; gabled to advance bay; gabled to dormer attic windows) with clay ridge tiles, rendered chimney stacks having moulded cornices, rooflights, and cast-iron rainwater goods on moulded rendered eaves. Painted rendered, ruled and lined walls on tooled cut-granite plinth with rock-faced dressed limestone walls to porch having cut-granite dressings including block-and-start quoins to corners incorporating bull-nose detailing, frieze on stringcourse, carved cornice, blocking course to parapet, and painted roughcast walls to rear (west) elevation having rendered strips to corners. Square-headed window openings (some in tripartite arrangement) with cut-granite sills (on cut-granite panelled risers to ground floor), moulded rendered surrounds (on consoles to canted bay window), and one-over-one timber sash windows having six-over-six timber sash windows to rear (west) elevation (some two-over-two timber sash windows throughout having eight-over-eight timber sash window to advanced bay). Round-headed door opening to porch on two cut-granite steps with cut-granite panelled pilaster doorcase having moulded necking, paired consoles supporting open-bed pediment, bull-nose reveals to door opening, timber panelled double doors having overlight, square-headed flanking window openings on cut-granite panelled risers having block-and-start surrounds, chamfered reveals, and one-over-one timber sash windows. Interior with timber panelled shutters to window openings. Set back from road in own grounds with tarmacadam forecourt, and landscaped grounds to site. 

Appraisal 

An elegantly-appointed substantial country house redeveloped for the Fleming family in the mid nineteenth century incorporating a substantial early eighteenth-century range in the grounds, thereby maintaining a long-standing presence on site. Stylistically reminiscent of the contemporary (c.1850) View Mount (House) (12402107/KK-21-07) nearby suggesting the possibility of a shared architect or builder the architectural design value of the composition is identified by characteristics including the balanced arrangement of the pleasantly-proportioned openings, the arrangement of some openings in a Wyatt-inspired tripartite manner, and so on, all centred on an enriched porch displaying high quality stone masonry in the construction in a combination of granite and limestone. Having been very well maintained the house presents an early aspect with the original fabric surviving substantially intact both to the exterior and to the interior, thereby maintaining the character of a composition forming the centrepiece of a large-scale rural landholding (with 12402112 – 4/KK-21-12 – 4). 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/12402112/barraghcore-house-duninga-co-kilkenny

Farmyard complex, c.1850, about a courtyard incorporating fabric of earlier complex, pre-1840, on site including: (i) Detached three-bay two-storey outbuilding with camber-headed carriageway to right ground floor. Hipped gabled slate roof with clay ridge tiles, rendered shallow gabled bellcote (with camber-headed aperture, and rendered stringcourse supporting gabled coping), and iron rainwater goods on rendered eaves. Painted rendered walls over random rubble limestone construction with cast-iron tie plates to first floor. Square-headed window openings with cut-limestone shallow sills, and timber casement windows. Square-headed door opening with timber panelled door. Camber-headed carriageway to right ground floor with timber fitting having overlight. Set back from road in grounds shared with Barraghcore House about a courtyard having random rubble limestone boundary wall incorporating elliptical-headed carriageway in dressed limestone screen with cut-limestone voussoirs, iron double gates, and cut-limestone coping to parapet. (ii) Detached single-bay two-storey outbuilding. Pitched slate roof with clay ridge tiles, and no rainwater goods on dressed rubble limestone eaves. Random squared rubble limestone walls with remains of unpainted roughcast over, and slit-style apertures to first floor. Square-headed window opening with cut-stone shallow sill, and timber casement window. (iii) Detached six-bay two-storey stable outbuilding with camber-headed carriageway to ground floor. Hipped gabled slate roof with clay ridge tiles, and no rainwater goods on dressed rubble limestone eaves. Random squared rubble limestone walls. Square-headed window openings with cut-limestone sills (no sills to ground floor), red brick voussoirs, and timber casement windows. Square-headed door openings with cut-granite surrounds, red brick voussoirs forming camber relieving arches over, and timber panelled doors. Camber-headed carriageway to ground floor with cut-granite surround rising into red brick voussoirs, and no fittings. (iv) Detached five-bay two-storey coach house with series of three elliptical-headed carriageways to ground floor. Pitched slate roof with clay ridge tiles, and no rainwater goods on dressed limestone eaves. Random squared rubble limestone walls. Square-headed window openings in camber-headed recesses with cut-limestone sills, red brick block-and-start surrounds, and timber casement windows. Square-headed door openings with red brick voussoirs, and timber boarded doors. Series of three elliptical-headed carriageways to ground floor with red brick voussoirs, and no fittings. (v) Attached three-bay double-height outbuilding. Hipped gabled slate roof with clay ridge tiles, and no rainwater goods. Random coursed rubble limestone walls with cast-iron tie plates. Square-headed window openings with cut-limestone shallow sills, red brick dressings, and fittings not visible. (vi) Attached four-bay double-height outbuilding with series of four elliptical-headed carriageways to ground floor. Pitched slate roof with clay ridge tiles, and no rainwater goods on squared rubble limestone eaves. Random coursed squared limestone walls. Series of four elliptical-headed carriageways to ground floor with red brick dressings, and fittings not visible. 

Appraisal 

An attractive collection of modest-scale and middle-size agricultural outbuildings arranged about a shared courtyard with the resulting cluster contributing significantly to the group and setting values of the Barraghcore House estate while indicating the various ancillary services historically necessary in the maintenance of a large-scale landholding. Each range having been well maintained with most of the original attributes surviving intact the complex makes a positive impression on the character of the site. 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/12402113/barraghcore-house-duninga-co-kilkenny

Detached two-bay single-storey gate lodge, c.1825, on an T-shaped plan with single-bay single-storey projecting end bay to left, and single-bay single-storey return to east. Now disused. Hipped slate roof on a T-shaped plan with clay ridge tiles, rendered chimney stack on a profiled octagonal plan, and no rainwater goods surviving on cut-granite eaves having paired consoles. Unpainted fine roughcast walls over irregular coursed dressed limestone construction. Square-headed window openings (some in tripartite arrangement) with cut-granite sills, cut-granite surrounds having consoles supporting entablatures, and six-over-six timber sash windows. Square-headed door opening with cut-granite surround having consoles supporting entablature, and tongue-and-groove timber panelled door. Set back from line of road in grounds shared with Barraghcore House. 

Appraisal 

A picturesque small-scale gate lodge displaying robust detailing in the Classical manner with granite dressings exhibiting high quality craftsmanship enriching the architectural design value of the composition. Although having fallen into disrepair as a consequence of a prolonged period of disuse the elementary attributes survive in place, thereby making a pleasing visual statement with the attendant gateway (12402114/KK-21-14) at the entrance to the grounds of Barraghcore House.