Coolavin, Monasteraden, Co Sligo
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. 89. “(MacDermot, Prince of Coolavin/IFR) A late-Victorian house built 1897-98 by Rt Hon Hugh MacDermot, The MacDermot, Prince of Coolavin, to the design of James Franklin Fuller. Of cut stone, with red sandstone dressings; rather in the style of an early C17 hall in the North of England. Steep porch-gable, decorated with balls on pedestals; dormer-gables on either side. Mullioned and sash windows, the latter, rather surprisingly, for their period, with Georgian astragals. End gables, also with pedestals and balls.”
Coolavin House, CLOGHER, Clogher, County Sligo
Detached multiple-bay two- and three-storey stone house, built 1898, to designs by architect James Franklin Fuller. Complex plan arranged around central three-storey block projecting as gabled breakfronts to east and west; two-storey hip-roofed front block to south of central block with gabled breakfront, gabled dormers and single-storey canted bay window to east of front elevation, single-storey flat-roofed bay window to east elevation, two-storey wing projecting to north from east end of central block dropping to single-storey L-plan wing returning west; two-storey wing projecting to north from west end of central block, single-storey gabled porch projecting from east side of north gable; various single-storey infill buildings between west and east rear (north) wings, enclosed courtyard to rear of building. Pitched and hipped slate roofs, clay ridge and hip tiles, rock-faced ashlar stone canted-cap chimneystacks with yellow clay pots, polished ashlar sandstone verge copings with corbelled springers, knops to main gable apexes and springers to main entrance gable, moulded cast-iron gutters on canted ashlar stone eaves corbel course, rectangular cast-iron downpipes. Squared-and-snecked rockfaced ashlar limestone walling, gablets with loops over some first floor windows, armorial plaque in gable over main entrance, sandstone quoins, chamfered sandstone capping to limestone plinth. Square-headed window openings, block-and-start splayed sandstone surrounds, flush sills; transomed and mullioned windows to main entrance breakfront and east breakfront, leaded-light stained glass fixed lights, painted multi-pane-over-one timber sash windows elsewhere. Round-headed main entrance door opening set in polished ashlar sandstone breakfront flanked by transomed sidelights, moulded archivolt with projecting keystone, flanking pilasters with fluting to bottom sections on moulded dado sill course on dadoes, plain frieze over with moulded cornice and central dentilled segmental pediment, varnished vertically-sheeted and studded timber double doors with decorative wrought-iron strap hinges, stone steps. Corbelled square-headed door opening to north porch, splayed polished ashlar sandstone surround, painted vertically-sheeted and studded timber door. Segmental-headed gateway in north elevation leading to enclosed yard, chamfered polished ashlar sandstone surround, wrought-iron gates. Bitmac forecourt, ha-ha to west, surrounded by mature farm and parkland, approached by driveway from north.
Appraisal
This striking eclectically-styled house combines grey limestone and red sandstone in its complex asymmetrical elevational treatments. High quality craftsmanship is evident throughout and most original details survive. The unusual sash window design is particularly noteworthy.
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McParlan described the Coolavin of 1802 as a “delightful retreat”. The house at Clogher was offered for sale as part of the McDermott estate in 1852. By the time of Griffith’s Valuation it was occupied by Joseph Holmes and was valued at £16. In 1906 Coolavin was valued at £35. The house now known as Coolavin was built in the 1890s replacing an earlier house near the same location. This latter house is still extant and occupied. The original house at Clogher is now derelict.
Irish Historic Houses 