Longford House, Beltra, Co Sligo – ruin and Airbnb coach house
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. 190. “(Crofton, Bt, of Longford House/PB) A house of two storeys over a high basement built 1782, which was intended to be flanked by two large wings of which only one was built. Front with three sided bow and pedimented doorcase; other front with rusticated Venetian loggia in basement. Lime avenue; old castle in grounds, also a ruined oratory; Elizabethan or Jacobean Crofton chimneypiece removed from Mote, Co Roscommon, near house. The main block of the house was gutted by fire early in C19, the windows, however, have been replaced and it has been given a flat roof and is used as a store. After the fire, the wing was remodelled to serve as a house.”
Detached five-bay three-storey stone former mansion, built c. 1782, now in ruins. Full-height central canted bay projects from east elevation, two-storey canted bay projects from east side of south elevation. Main roof and chimneystacks missing, lead roof to south bay. Squared rubble stone walling, corbelled ashlar limestone eaves cornice, V-jointed polished ashlar quoins above first floor string course, vermiculated quoins below, chamfered plinth. Doric columns, entablature and blocking course to south canted bay. Square-headed window openings, shouldered architraves, stone sills, pedimented tripartite window over west entrance, timber sash windows missing. Round-headed door opening to west, flanked by narrow square-headed sidelights, rusticated channel-jointed surround, moulded string at impost. Square-headed door opening at first floor east elevation, stone door case with Doric columns, frieze and triangular pediment. Virtually no original internal features survive, steel beams, concrete floors and stairs introduced c. 1960. Located on forty-five acre estate. Two-storey occupied house to north-east.
Appraisal
This splendid example of restrained classicism is an impressive sight. Its scale and quality of craftsmanship bear testimony to the importance the Crofton family once held. The house is composed of graceful Classical proportions and is without superfluous detailing. Furthermore, the regular distribution of openings adds a rhythmic quality to the piece. The house is attractively set in its own grounds. Announcing the house on the road side is a fine gateway that contributes greatly to the character of the locality. The primary residence in the locality, Longford House is of further social interest having historically provided much employment in the region.
Detached three-bay two-storey rendered house, built c. 1810. Double-pile south-facing main house, two-storey north-east wing with hipped roof in line with main house, two-storey north-west wing with pitched roof perpendicular to main house. Hipped slate roofs, clay ridge and hip tiles, unpainted smooth-rendered corbelled chimneystacks with clay pots, gabled dormers with painted timber decorative barges to east and west ends of south block, half-round cast-iron gutters on projecting stone eaves carried on triangular stone corbels to south elevation, extruded profiled aluminium gutters on corbelled eaves to other elevations. Painted roughcast walling to south elevation, chamfered stone string course over smooth-rendered plinth, ashlar limestone rusticated quoins. Unpainted smooth-rendered walling to east and west elevations. Evidence of entrance portico having been removed. Square-headed window openings, dressed limestone sills, painted six-over-six timber sash windows to ground floor, six-over-three to first floor south elevation, tripartite to east and west elevations. Square-headed entrance door opening, painted timber half-glazed double doors c. 1995. Round-headed porch opening to west elevation. Gravelled stable courtyard to rear with various sheds and outbuildings. Gravelled forecourt, lawns, original Longford House to south-west. A fireplace with the inscription ‘GEORGE CROFTON 1632 ELIZABETH CROFTON’, presumably removed from the old house, is set against a wall to the west.
Appraisal
This sprawling house appears to have a complex evolution as evidenced in its various blocks and details. Stone corbelling and quoins on the front elevation are of particular interest. Original sash windows survive.
Detached single-bay single-storey former chapel house, built c. 1650, no longer in use. Pitched slate roof, stone ridge tiles. Rubble limestone walling, eaves corbel course. Pointed-arch window openings to east and west elevations, slit window on south gable. Pointed-arch door opening on north gable. Exposed stonework with medieval carvings and inscriptions. Located on Longford Demesne to south of main house, south gable to public road.
Appraisal
It appears that this little building is an assembly of parts gleaned from other buildings. The stone carvings to the interior are of artistic significance and may be of special interest.
In Blake, Tarquin. Abandoned Mansions of Ireland II: More Portraits of Forgotten Stately Homes. Collins Press, Cork, 2012.
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/property-list.jsp?letter=L
Longford House was built in the mid-18th century but was destroyed in a fire in the early 19th century,c1816. It is this house to which Wilson refers as the seat of Mr. Crofton in 1786. Another house was built adjacent to the original. McTernan notes that this house also suffered fire damage in both 1840 and again in 1916. At the time of Griffith’s Valuation a house at Longford Demesne was valued at £13 and was the property of Sir Malby Crofton. In 1906 this was the property of Sir Malby Crofton and was valued at £30. The later Longford House is still extant and occupied. The original is an impressive ruin.
Lady of the Manor determined to restore Longford House to former glory
October 11 2002 12:11 AM by Paul Deering It’s probably one of Sligo’s least known country manors but Longford House in Beltra, West Sligo is nonetheless just as significant. Its current owner has spent thousands of euro on restoring most of the property to its former glory but she desperately needs help with saving a substantial portion of the property from ruin. With no state funding available, the chances of major restoration work being carried out are slim but Lady Sally Crofton, owner of the magnificent estate, remains determined. A whole series of proposals are floating around in her mind about how best to maximise the use of the property including its use as a concert venue. Longford House is an imposing sight set amongst 45 acres of wooded grounds and gardens. The property comprises three buildings, a Georgian house built around 1783, the original mansion nearby which was severely damaged by fire in 1916 and another building called the Smoke House which lies adjacent to the entrance. There’s even a lake on the grounds. Lady Crofton’s husband, Sir. Malby Crofton, died last year aged 78. Longford House has been in the ownership of the Croftons since the 1500’s. Born in Middlesex, Lady Crofton has an interesting life story to tell but prefers instead to talk about her house and her plans for it. The original estate contained around 40,000 acres but over the years this has dwindled to around 45. Close to the Smoke House is a large mound upon which was located a Celtic fort and later a 12th century castle.
Given its tranquil setting, it’s no surprise that it inspired the writer, Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan). The well known 19th century poet and novelist and author of the Wild Irish Girl, lived as a governess to the young Croftons at Longford House for a number of years during which she penned a number of her works.
The approach to the property is through an impressive set of gates and along a magnificent avenue of mature lime trees. Views of West Sligo immediately come into view and also very visible are Ben Bulben and Knocknarea in the distance.
Neglected
Both the Smoke House and the Georgian House have been extensively re-fitted and decorated but the large mansion closeby lies neglected.
There are interesting facets all over the estate including an ancient Prayer House which was part of the original castle. A number of interesting native religious carvings are very visible on its inside walls and it is known that family weddings were held in this small building as recently as the 1920’s.
Lady Crofton studied sculpture in Paris as a young girl before joining the advertising world in London as an accounts executive. Amongst the many interesting accounts she looked after was Britain’s Milk Marketing Board.
The slogan, “Drink a Pinta” was dreamed up by a copy writer during Lady Crofton’s time there.
She later travelled to Africa where she established her own advertising and P.R. agency.
Her husband, Sir Malby Crofton was a former mayor of Kensington and Chelsea. When they came over to live in the property at Beltra there was no heating and water was seeping down the walls.
‘Absolute wreck’
“It was an absolute wreck. We moved into one room and started renovating,” she recalls.
They had married In May 1998 and during the summer they thought about moving to their idyllic setting in the West of Ireland.
Lady Crofton, a well known interior designer, wants to make use of the fine restored house and earn enough money to tackle the mansion nearby. So far no grants have been allocated to preserving the buildings.
“If I could just get enough money together to replace the roof so that it would prevent further deterioration I would be very happy,” she said.
Family week-end breaks with fishing on the lake included, is one idea she has hit upon to make use of her property. The house can sleep up to 20. Other revenue earners include the hosting of company parties, especially at Christmas time. Weddings and Christenings are also in the pipeline.
The most audacious of her proposals would be the hosting of concerts in the expansive grounds.
“It would make a great hotel but it needs to be saved not just for our family but for Sligo. It would be simply terrible if it fell into ruin altogether. It is a heritage building and I have spent so much already restoring the rest of the estate.
“I am determined to put Longford on the map. Like Lissadell, Templehouse and Markree Castle, it is of tremendous heritage value to Sligo,” she says.
Lady Crofton was forced to put the entire estate up for sale during the summer but has now decided to open it to the public for special occasions. She’s determined to keep it and turn it into one of Sligo’s best known landmarks.
Irish Historic Houses 