Ardsallagh, Fethard, Co Tipperary
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. 11. “(Farquhar, Bt,PB) A gable-ended double bow-fronted C18 house of two storeys over a basement; the bows being three sided and having between them a Venetian window over a pedimented and fanlighted tripartite doorway. Broad flight of steps with railings up to hall door. Hall open to spacious staircase; drawing room and dining room with modern plasterwork friezes in late C18 style. Originally the seat of the Frend family; bought after WWII by Mrs Reginald Farquhar who has made a noteable garden her with a series of walled enclosers, one of which is laid out as an Italian garden with a pool, also a wild garden planted with many rare trees and shrubs.”
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The home of George Gough in the first half of the 19th century. It is described in the Ordnance Survey Name Books in 1840 as “a gentleman’s residence with garden’s attached and surrounded with ornamental grounds”. It was valued at £37.12 shillings in 1850 and held from George Fennel. In the 1870s Colonel George Frend of Ardsullagh owned 100 acres in county Tipperary. Still in use as a country house.
Detached three-bay two-storey with attic over half-basement country house, built c. 1780, having canted end bays to front elevation. L-plan three-bay two-storey addition to north end of rear, two-storey with attic central return to rear of main block, flanked by single-bay two-storey returns projecting further to give E-plan to main block. Further single-storey with attic return to north return of main block. Pitched slate roofs throughout except for hipped roof to L-plan addition, hipped slate roofs to canted bays, with rendered chimneystacks. Painted rendered walls, having rendered plinth course to front façade. Square-headed openings with timber sliding sash windows, six-over-three pane first floor of façade, six-over-six pane elsewhere, all with limestone sills. Round-headed window over entrance flanked by separate sidelights, all with continuous limestone sill. Twelve-over-eight pane window to middle return of main block. Panelled shuttering to interior of windows. Entrance has panelled timber door with ornate cobweb fanlight flanked by carved Doric engaged columns on limestone plinths supporting open-bed pediment and flanked by sidelights with limestone sills over sandstone plinth walls. Flight of limestone steps to entrance having cast-iron railings. Round-headed doorcase to northern return of main block, having timber panelled door flanked by panelled pilasters, with moulded entablature and archivolt with keystone and having ornate cobweb fanlight. Three-bay single-storey gate lodge to east having lower recessed single-bay wings and flat-roofed extension to rear. Hipped slate roofs with rendered chimneystacks, painted rendered walls and having square-headed openings with timber casement windows, tripartite to main block and single to wings, having lattice glazing and limestone sills. Four-pane timber casement windows to side and rear elevations. Entrance to east wing having square-headed opening with replacement glazed timber door. Square-profile ashlar limestone piers with moulded caps having double-leaf cast-iron gates with spearhead points. Roughcast rendered piers with spearhead-pointed cast-iron railings terminating in second pair of similar piers.
This country house, set in a mature landscape, is of apparent architectural design. This Georgian building has the regular rhythm of this classically-inspired style with canted end bays which add interest to and enhance the façade. The slightly diminishing windows are a typical feature of high status homes of this period in South Tipperary, emphasising the vertical thrust of the structure. Ornamentation is focused on the highly ornate doorway which is further emphasised by the finely carved limestone steps. The skilfully sculpted Doric pilasters carry the pedimented surround which frames the delicate cobweb fanlight. The building is obviously of several builds, the various returns highlighting its evoultion. The house retains its fine outbuildings arranged around a central courtyard with intact cobbles. The gate lodge is of apparent architectural design and reflects the regular architecture of the main house.
Irish Historic Houses 