Castle Blunden, Kilkenny, R95 X0HN
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. 62. “(Blunden, Bt/PB) A highly romantic mid-C18 house with water on both sides of it so that it seems to float; the water being two lakes probably formed out of the moat of the earlier house or castle here. It was built either for John Blunden, MP or for his son, Sir John Blunden, 1st Bt. Of three storeys over a vaulted basement; six bay front, central niche with statue below square armorial panel and above single-storey pedimented Doric portico. Quoins; rusticated surrounds to all the windows and the niche. Slightly sprocketed roof. Teh back of the house consists of two gables with a projections between them containing the principal and secondary staircases. The decoration of the interior is late C18 and was probably carried out by the 2nd Bt after his marriage to a bride who, according to Dorothea Herbert, brought him (a clear £8000 a year.) Hall with frieze of rams heads. Drawing room with ceiling of Adamesque plasterwork. Before 2nd Bt married, he and his sisters kept the house constantly filled with young people; in the evenings, there were boating parties on one of the lakes, when, according to Dorothea, the girls would step from the windows into the pleasure boat “whilst six or seven fiddles serenaded us on the water.” The young men of teh party would also serenade the girls at night outsdie their bedroom, and sometimes “burst in” catching them “en chemise.” A wing has recently been added to the house, designed by Mr Jeremy Williams, containing an additional sitting room.”
https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/12401906/castle-blunden-castleblunden-co-kilkenny
Detached seven-bay three-storey over basement Classical-style country house, c.1750, on a symmetrical plan with (single-storey) prostyle tetrastyle pedimented Roman Doric portico to centre ground floor, two-bay three-storey side elevations, and three-bay full-height central return to west. Hipped slate roof on a U-shaped plan (ending in gables to rear (west) elevation; hipped to return) with clay ridge tiles, rendered chimney stacks, slightly sproketed eaves, and cast-iron rainwater goods on rendered eaves having iron brackets. Part ivy-clad unpainted rendered, ruled and lined walls over random rubble stone construction with cut-limestone dressings including quoins to corners, stringcourses to each floor, round-headed recessed niche to centre first floor having cut-limestone block-and-start surround incorporating keystone, and heraldic plaque to centre top floor with cut-limestone surround. Square-headed window openings (round-headed window opening to return) with cut-limestone sills, cut-limestone block-and-start surrounds having keystones (plain surrounds to basement having keystones), six-over-six and three-over-six (top floor) timber sash windows having four-over-eight timber sash windows to basement with wrought iron bars. Square-headed door opening under prostyle tetrastyle pedimented Roman Doric portico (having cut-limestone columns with responsive pilasters supporting entablature, frieze having central panel, and carved limestone surround to pediment having modillions) with carved cut-limestone surround, and glazed timber panelled double doors. Interior with timber panelled shutters to window openings. Set back from road in own grounds with gravel forecourt, and landscaped grounds to site.
Appraisal
Representing an important element of the mid eighteenth-century architectural legacy of County Kilkenny a Classically-composed substantial country house built to designs attributed to Francis Bindon (c.1698-1765) in a manner reminiscent of the contemporary (1737) Bonnettstown Hall (12401909/KK-19-09) nearby has been very well maintained to present an early aspect with the original composition attributes surviving in place together with most of the historic fabric both to the exterior and to the interior. Sparsely-detailed the external expression of the house is enlivened by limestone dressings including a somewhat squat portico displaying high quality stone masonry. Forming the centrepiece of a large-scale estate (including 12401905, 15, 19 – 20/KK-19-05, 15, 19 – 20) the resulting ensemble having long-standing connections with the Blunden family makes a pleasant contribution to the visual appeal of the local landscape.
e: hhiref@castleblunden.com
http://www.ihh.ie/index.cfm/houses/house/name/Castle%20Blunden
Castle Blunden, Kilkenny, R95 X0HN
e: hhiref@castleblunden.com
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A few miles from the cathedral city of Kilkenny, Castle Blunden stands on an elevated site in the midst of mature parkland. Dating from the 1750s, and still owned by the Blunden family, this pretty seven-bay building is typical of County Kilkenny houses from the mid-Georgian period. The house is rendered, with a profusion of cut limestone decoration and details, and a handsome sprocketed roof, while the later Doric porch compliments the symmetry of the facade. The basement is concealed by a ramped gravel approach, which makes the house appear both lower and wider than is actually the case, while the small lakes to either side add to the overall air of enchantment.
Available as a Film Location
Accommodation and Short Breaks
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Special family celebrations
Meetings or receptions
Their father, Sir William Blunden, a British naval officer and farmer, established Rionore, a bespoke jewellery business in Kilkenny along with Sir Basil Gouldiong, which was then taken over by the distinguished jewellery designer Rudolf Heltzel and still operates today…
Their great grand aunt was the eminent artist Sarah Purser – known for her stained glass and portraits. Purser once joked of her portraiture that she “went through the British aristocracy like the measles”…. The Blunden family have been in Kilkenny since the 17th century and their home, Castle Blunden, was constructed in the mid-1800s. “The family integrated and survived through the 18th century by marrying heiresses, and through the 19th century’s turbulent times by being honest and decent – keeping their heads down and playing chess,” say the twins….
The castle and estate have since passed the sisters to the first-born male heir through the primogenitor line.
When their father, Sir William, died in 1985, the estate went to his brother Sir Philip, as the girls had no brother.
Their mother, Lady Pamela Purser Blunden, continued to live at Castle Blunden until her death in 2017, and now the castle, estate and title have passed to the heir apparent, their nephew Patrick.
The Landed Gentry & Aristocracy: Kilkenny. Volume 1. Art Kavanagh, 2004.
Blunden of Castle Blunden.
See the chapter on the Blundens of Castle Blunden in Art Kavanagh’s The Landed Gentry and Aristocracy of Kilkenny.
p. 15. Sir John 1st and his wife Lady Susanna had a large family including five daughters and in order to assist in finding suitable marriage partners for those ladies many lavish parties were held at Castle Blunden. Guests who had travelled far would stay the night and the young unmarrieds would share the barrack room, modesty being maintained by means of a curtain hanging across the room to segregate the sexes.
p. 16. According to Burke’s Peerage Overington Blunden was given a grant of lands in Kilkenny in 1667. He was granted Clanmore or Glanmore “to be forever called Blunden’s Castle”. The lands originally belonged to the Shee family. He was also granted other lands in Kilkenny as well as lands in Co Laois and Co Waterfrod. …Overington was granted the lands in lieu of the money he had adventured. He was originally from Southwark in Surrey and was by profession a whitster or cloth bleacher. …When they took possession of the Kilkenny lands they lived in the tower house which was to the rear of the present house which was not built until almost 100 years later.
https://lordbelmontinnorthernireland.blogspot.com/2018/08/castle-blunden.html
THE BLUNDEN BARONETS OWNED 1,846 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY KILKENNY
JOHN BLUNDEN (c1718-83), only surviving son of John Blunden, of Castle Blunden, Barrister, MP for County Kilkenny, 1727-52, married Martha, daughter of Agmondesham Cuffe, and sister of John, 1st Baron Desart, and had issue (with several daughters),
JOHN, his heir;
William Pitt, father of the 3rd Baronet;
Overington. (General in the army; MP).
Mr Blunden was created a baronet in 1766, denominated of Castle Blunden, County Kilkenny.
Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,
SIR JOHN BLUNDEN, 2nd Baronet (1767-1818), High Sheriff of County Kilkenny, 1805 and 1813, Mayor of Kilkenny, 1802, who married twice, though both marriages were without issue, when the title passed to his nephew,
SIR JOHN BLUNDEN, 3rd Baronet (1814-90), DL, Barrister, High Sheriff of Kilkenny City, 1843-4, County Kilkenny, 1847, who wedded, in 1839, Elizabeth, daughter of Major John Knox, of Dublin, and had issue,
WILLIAM, his successor;
John Overington;
Edward Herbert;
Maurice Robert;
Arthur Henry;
Abraham;
Kate; Harriette; Nicola Sophia.
Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,
SIR WILLIAM BLUNDEN, 4th Baronet (1840-1923), Surgeon, High Sheriff of County Kilkenny, 1904, who espoused, in 1879, Florence Caroline, daughter of Henry Shuttleworth, and had issue,
JOHN, his successor;
Eric Overington;
Muriel.
Sir William was succeeded by his eldest son,
SIR JOHN BLUNDEN, 5th Baronet (1880-1923), who wedded, in 1918, Phyllis Dorothy, daughter of Philip Crampton Creagh, and had issue,
WILLIAM, his successor;
PHILIP OVERINGTON, 7th Baronet.
Sir John was succeeded by his elder son,
SIR WILLIAM BLUNDEN, 6th Baronet (1919-85), Lieutenant-Commander RN, who married, in 1945, Pamela Mary, daughter of John Purser, and had issue,
Sarah Vanessa; Griselda Jane; Caroline Susan; Rowena Mary;
Elizabeth Anne Gabrielle; Fiona Christine.
Sir William died without male issue, when the title passed to his brother,
SIR PHILIP OVERINGTON BLUNDEN, as 7th Baronet (1922-2007), who wedded, in 1945, Jeanette Francesca Alexandra, daughter of Captain D Macdonald RNR, of Portree, Isle of Skye, and had issue,
HUBERT CHISHOLM, his successor;
John Maurice Patrick;
Marguerite Eugenie.
Sir Philip was succeeded by his eldest son,
SIR HUBERT CHISHOLM BLUNDEN, 8th and present Baronet (1948-), of The Cottage, Carrigloe, Cobh, County Cork, 1st Battalion, Irish Guards, who married, in 1975, Ellish O’Brien, and has issue,
EDMUND, b 1982;
Amelia, b 1977.
CASTLE BLUNDEN, County Kilkenny, is a mid-18th century house built either for John Blunden MP, or for his son, Sir John Blunden, 1st Baronet.
It comprises three storeys over a vaulted basement, with a six-bay front enclosing a central niche containing a statue below an armorial panel.
The interior decoration is late 18th century in style, likely decorated by the 2nd Baronet, whose wife afforded him “a clear £8,000 a year.”
The hall boasts a frieze of rams’ heads; and the plasterwork in the drawing-room has an “Adamesque” ceiling.
Castle Blunden stands in a most idyllic setting, with water on both sides of it, probably formed originally from a moat (from an earlier castle).
https://www.geni.com/projects/Historic-Buildings-of-Co-Kilkenny-C-F/29993
Castle Blunden Detached seven-bay three-storey over basement Classical-style country house, c.1750 built to designs attributed to Francis Bindon (c.1698-1765)
Paddy Rossmore. Photographs. Edited by Robert O’Byrne. The Lilliput Press, Dublin 7, 2019.
“the Blundens of Castle Blunden are descended from Overington Blunden, an English soldier who came to Ireland in teh seventeenth century and in 1667 was granted lands by the crown in County Kilkenny, Tipperary, Offaly and Waterford. Castle Blunden dates from around the middle of the following century, and was most likely built, or at least commenced by John Blunden who sat as a Member of the Irish Parliament for Kilkenny City from 1727 until his death in 1766. Its design attributed to amateur architect Francis Bindon, Caslte Blunden is of seven bays and three storeys, its facade enlivened by an unusually wide pedimented portico supported by four Roman Doric columns. Above this is a niche containing a somewhat diminuitve figure of a Roman general and then below the eaves a stone panel features the family coat of arms.”
Irish Historic Houses 