Duneske, Cahir, 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. 115. “(Smith/IFR) A three storey asymmetrical Victorian house with a high roof and some gables; built ca 1870 for R.W. Smith to the design of Sir Thomas Drew. Plate glass windows, bows in various places. Porch with sinuous, rather art-nouveau style decoration in stucco. An impressive straight flight of stairs between walls leads up to 1st floor, where the principal reception rooms are situated; there are two drawing rooms with friezes of simple Victorian plasterwork; one of them has a characterstically late-Victorian alcove in a projecting bow, set at an odd angle.”
Detached T-plan country house, dated 1873, having four-bay two- and three-storey over half-basement elevations to east and west long sides, three-bay two-storey over half-basement south elevation, cross bar of T, with central triangular bay. Two-storey over half basement octagonal projection to south-west corner and gable-fronted three-storey entrance bay to west elevation with projecting gable-fronted porch. Esplanade over extended basement to south elevation, having balustraded parapet and decorative cast-iron double-leaf gate at top of access steps, latter having rendered parapet walls and piers. Artificial slate roofs, hipped to octagonal projection and pitched elsewhere, with red brick chimneystacks, cast-iron rainwater goods, overhanging eaves with carved timber brackets and with timber trusses to gables having carved timber finials. Painted smooth rendered walls with moulded render continuous string course at impost level of top floor. Brick bands to north gable and to north end of east elevation. Square-headed window openings, shouldered to most windows of upper floors and having render label mouldings to top floor windows. Camber-headed window to top floor of entrance bay. Timber sliding sash windows with limestone sills, one-over-one pane to middle floor and two-over-two pane horizontal pane windows to top floor throughout and to middle floor of front elevation. Entrance porch has decorative timber truss with ornate piercing and supported on carved timber brackets. Square-headed timber casement windows to side walls of porch. Square-headed entrance door to front with double-leaf timber door having decorative wrought-iron detailing to glazed upper panels and decoratively carved lower panels. Door set into segmental-headed moulded render doorcase with render label moulding, having ornate stucco work above door incorporating the initials ‘R.C.S’ and with date 1873 to spandrels. South elevation has square-headed double-leaf glazed timber panelled door with overlight, and round-headed glazed timber panelled door with petal fanlight. Internal timber shuttering to windows. Gate lodges to north-west and south-west, former with limestone gateway.
Appraisal
Designed by Sir Thomas Drew, architectural design and detailing are apparent in this house. The varying elevations with different levels give the house a distinctive appearance. The building exhibits a range of unusual and decorative features, most notably the angular bow to the south elevation. The elaborate entrance with the decoratively-treated door, forms a striking feature, and the stucco over the door bear the initials of the owner and the construction date. The render details to the upper windows and the decorative timber trusses highlight the artistic nature of the design. The associated gate lodges further contribute to the setting of the house.
Irish Historic Houses 