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.
“A three storey five bay gable-ended house of ca 1770, with a pedimented doorcase and niches in the centre of each floor.”
Parkstown, County Meath, courtesy National Inventory.
Detached five-bay three-storey country house, built c.1770, with return. Replacement pitched slate roof with rendered chimneystacks. Rendered walls, with sill course at first floor level and with niches to central upper floor bays. Timber sash windows with stone sills. Pedimented stone doorcase with spoked fanlight and timber panelled double doors. Internal double doors with Art Nouveau glass panels. Cast-iron water pump attached to rear elevation. Outbuildings to rear. Ashlar limestone octagonal gate piers to front.
Appraisal
The classical proportions and understated external decoration of this house enhance the form and scale of this imposing house. The stone doorcase and the rendered niches enliven the regular form. The setting of the house is enhanced by the related outbuildings to the site.
Parkstown, County Meath, courtesy National Inventory.Parkstown, County Meath, courtesy National Inventory.Parkstown, County Meath, courtesy National Inventory.Parkstown, County Meath, courtesy National Inventory.Parkstown, County Meath, courtesy National Inventory.Parkstown, County Meath, courtesy National Inventory.Parkstown, County Meath, courtesy National Inventory.
Record of Protected Structures:
Parkstown, townland: Parkstown, town” Ballivor
Detached five-bay three-storey country house, built c.1770, with return. Outbuildings to rear. Ashlar limestone octagonal gate piers to front.
National Register: 14327001
Casey, Christine and Alistair Rowan. The Buildings of Ireland: North Leinster. Penguin Books, London, 1993.
Parkstown House is located just outside Ballivor on the road to Trim. Casey and Rowan described Parkstown as a tall thin three storey gable ended house. Bence-Jones pointed out the pedimented doorcase and niches at the centre of each floor. Erected about 1770 the house has internal doors with Art Nouveau glass panels.
In 1721 Francis Fleetwood of Parkstown leased the townland of Parkstown to Thomas Bomford of Rahinstown. Fleetwood held lands at Colronan, Cornelstown and Crossenstown.
In 1786 Robert Fleetwood held Parkstown. Robert married Catherine Margaret Hopkins. Their daughter, Hester, married James Rynd of Dublin and their son, Robert Fleetwood Rynd, lived at Ryndville. The name Fleetwood continued down the generations in the Rynd family. In the early 1800s a Robert Fleetwood married Maria Rynd but they seem to have lived in the parish of Rathcore.
In 1805 Michael Campbell of Parkstown married Miss Dowdall, daughter of George of Causetown, Co. Meath. In 1835 the house was the residence of Mr. Campbell.
In 1854 William Hone leased Parkstown House and the townland of 346 acres from the Earl of Darnley.
In 1911 Mary Anne Parr and her family lived at Parkstown. Mary Anne was a widow aged 83 in 1911. In 1928 B.C. Parr sold Parkstown. Bernard Cecil Parr, was the son of Bernard W. Parr of Ballyboy House, Rathmore. The house was described as “ the residence which is picturesque situate, is approached by front and back avenues and contains a large hall, two sitting rooms, five bedrooms, two dressing rooms, kitchen, dairy, W.C. Laundry etc.” Bernard C. Parr married Sidney Bell of Dublin in St. John’s Pro Cathedral, Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1932.
Kilmessan Rectory (I think this is Kilcarty, or Kilcarthy), County Meath for sale August 2022 courtesy Savills.
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.
“A delightful “hobby” farm of ca 1770-80. Built for Dr. George Cleghorn, Prof of Anatomy, to the design of Thomas Ivory. The two storey five bay gable-ended dwelling house and the farm buildings are all part of one composition, in true Palladian manner. The front of the house, which has a round-headed doorway with blocking, in prolonged by single-storey two bay wings; linking it to gable-ends of the farm buildings, which are treated as pediments, with oculi; they stand a little back, rising above curved sweeps. The two farm buildings extend back, forming two sides of a large courtyard behind the house, which is balanced on fourth side by a centrally placed barn. In 1814, the residence of Ross Fox, recently, of Peter Harper.”
Not in National Inventory
Record of Protected Structures:
Kilcarty
Detached five-bay two-storey gabled farmhouse, with low lean-to wings and curtain walls and courtyard behind, to designs of Thomas Ivory.
Kilmessan Rectory (I think this is Kilcarty, or Kilcarthy), County Meath for sale August 2022 courtesy Savills.
Kilcarty House, Kilmessan, is described as a ‘hobby-farm’ designed by Thomas Ivory for Dr. George Cleghorn, professor of anatomy at Trinity College. It consists of a detached two-storey gabled farmhouse, with low lean-to wings and curtain walls. The two farm buildings extend back forming the sides of a courtyard behind the house. Constructed in the 1770s Casey and Rowan state that modesty and simplicity are the qualities of this handsome building and further describe it as a compact and practical house. Maurice Craig said ‘the total effect is one of bland serenity’. Craig wrote that Kilcarty occupies a pivotal frontier between farmhouse and the mansion. A hobby farm, the owner only had to look out the back windows to see the farmyard. “The everyday dress and vernacular affinities of Kilcarty cloak a design of exceptional subtlety and refinement, Craig wrote, even after thirty years of looking at the building he noticed new aspects to it. “When real thought has gone into the making of a building, there is no limit to the times one can, and should, look at it.” Mulligan described Kilcarty as ‘one of the finest examples of a vernacular Palladian design’
George Cleghorn, was born near Edinburgh in 1716. He was involved in the establishment of the Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh. Appointed surgeon to the 22nd regiment of foot at the age of nineteen, he was stationed at Minocra, where he spent thirteen years. He wrote a book entitled ‘Observations on the Epidemical Diseases in Minorca from the Year 1744 to 1749”. In 1749 he went with the regiment to Ireland. Dr Cleghorn settled in practice in Dublin in 1751. In September 1753 Cleghorn was elected as Anatomist at Trinity College. In 1756 he published in Dublin a pamphlet, entitled “Index of an Annual Course of Lectures by George Cleghorn, Anatomist to Trinity College, and Surgeon in Dublin”. This was really a syllabus of his lectures, and is the first anatomical work published in connexion with the School of Anatomy at Trinity College.
In 1761 George Cleghorn was appointed Lecturer in Anatomy. He is credited with the first description of infectious hepatitis. From this period till his death in 1789, Dr Cleghorn enjoyed a lucrative practice. Due to declining health he spent more and more time away from the city, finding the pleasures of the outdoor life more rewarding. In 1784 Cleghorn was elected a member of the College of Physicians of Ireland; he was also one of the original members of the Royal Irish Academy. Cleghorn was married but had no children of his own, About 1774 Cleghorn’s only brother, John, died in Scotland, leaving his widow, Barbara, and nine children, and Cleghorn brought this family to Dublin in order to oversee their education. Three of this family, William, James, and Thomas, were educated for the medical profession and studied with their uncle in the Trinity College School, and subsequently in Edinburgh. One of these, William Cleghorn, took the degree of MD at Edinburgh in 1779. In 1786 Cleghorn was still delivering anatomical lectures at Dublin. He was unwilling to retire from the professorship until one of his nephews was in a strong position to apply for the vacant chair. Cleghorn died in Dublin three years later, in December 1789. His nephew, James, took over the Anatomical School. George died at Kilcarty on Tuesday, December 22, 1789, and in his will he left to his nephew George his estates in County Meath, and to his nephews, James and Thomas, to be equally divided between them, his library.
George Cleghorn acquired a considerable estate in the county of Meath, of which his nephew, George Cleghorn of Kilcarty, was High Sheriff in the year 1794.
William Cleghorn was born in 1751. His father died young, so he and eight siblings were raised by his uncle, George Cleghorn of Kilcarty. After studying at Trinity College, in 1779, he finished a doctoral dissertation at the University of Edinburgh. He died just four years later, but in that time had developed the concept of a caloric, a subtle invisible fluid used to explain heat. Cleghorn’s caloric was used for the next sixty years. In 1818 Bishop Plunket thanked Surgeon Cleghorn for his donation towards the new chapel at Kilmessan.
In 1814 Kilcarthy was the residence of Ross Fox and in 1835 it was described as a good house with a demesne of 150 acres, well laid out and wooded. The demesne was leased by Mr. Rourke from the proprietor, Rev. N. Preston of Swainstown. In 1854 the land was held by the representatives of James Cleghorn MD so the family seem to have held onto the leases on the land. Hugh Geraghty occupied the house from 1854 until his death in 1878 and his widow remained in the house until 1900. Hugh’s son, William, purchased the house in 1903. Dying in 1909 the property passed to his sister Mary. The house was sold in 1939 to the O’Beirne family.
Detached three-bay two-storey house over semi-basement, built c.1800, with central breakfront, and flanking single-storey wings. Hipped slate roof with rendered chimneystack. Roughcast rendered walls. Timber sash windows with stone sills. Segmental-arched doorcase with pairs of engaged Ionic columns flanking timber panelled door, with fanlight and side lights. Stone steps with cast-iron railings. Three-bay two-storey rubble limestone former coach house and cast-iron gates to the site.
Appraisal
This modest house is enlivened by subtle architectural details, such as the central breakfront, recessed blind arch with inset window, and imposing doorcase. The building is enhanced by the retention of many interesting features and materials, such as the timber sash windows and limestone steps. The related outbuildings and cast-iron gates contribute to the setting of the house.
For sale 3/8/22:C15 FD85
€1,300,000
4 bedroom, three baths
Kilmessan Rectory (I think this is Kilcarty, or Kilcarthy), County Meath for sale August 2022 courtesy Savills.Kilmessan Rectory (I think this is Kilcarty, or Kilcarthy), County Meath for sale August 2022 courtesy Savills.Kilmessan Rectory (I think this is Kilcarty, or Kilcarthy), County Meath for sale August 2022 courtesy Savills.
Charming period property with a private setting on the village fringe History The Old Rectory dates from the early years of the 19th century. Architectural historians believe that it may have been designed by Francis Johnston, the architect whose most famous work is the GPO on Dublin’s O’Connell Street. The house originally comprised a central block with just the two storeys over basement. An east wing was added in the 1890s, while a symmetrical west wing was added in the 1980s. The house was occupied by the local Church of Ireland Rector from the time it was first built until the middle of the last century. For most of that period it would not only have provided a home for the Rector and his family, but also their servants, who would have included a dairyman/gardener, a cook, a maid and, depending on the age of the children, a governess. Because of the dwindling congregation, Kilmessan parish was merged with the much larger parish of Trim in the late 1950s and the Rectory was sold by the Church of Ireland in 1958. Description The Old Rectory is a magnificent Georgian house, set on stunning mature grounds and extending to about 10 acres. Situated on the fringe of the popular village of Kilmessan, the property enjoys all of the amenities that the village has to offer. Being surrounded by beautiful mature trees offers a sense of privacy and security. The house is approached through stone wall piers and iron gates which open to an attractive sweeping driveway, lined by stud railing and fabulous mature trees to the front of the property with ample parking. The Old Rectory is a three-bay, two-storey, over semi-basement house, beneath a hipped slated roof. The front entrance faces north, while the garden entrance faces south. The exterior of the house includes prominent features such as roughcast rendered walls, timber sash windows with stone sills, a segmental arched doorcase and stone steps with cast-iron railings. The light-filled accommodation is of generous and elegant proportions, as shown on the accompanying plans. Extending to about 4,789 sq ft (445 sq m), it is well laid out for family living and entertaining. The present owners have undertaken a programme of renovation and redecoration to create a family home with period features but suitable for modern-day living standards. Notable internal features include shutters, cornicing, vaulted ceilings, architraves, decorated fireplaces and ceiling roses. The kitchen is also fitted with an Aga cooker. A magnificent conservatory was added by the present owners and connects with an open plan sitting/drawing room which is the hub of the house. Outbuildings Situated to the side of the house is a former coach house of traditional construction. Extending to about 2,045 sq ft (190 sq m), planning permission was previously granted to develop a dwelling house. This permission has since lapsed, however, the footprint of the coach house is zoned residential. Grounds The house sits amidst wonderful mature gardens with many fine specimen trees and shrubs including a stunning mature copper beech tree which is a notable feature. The gardens are mainly laid to lawn and include magnificent flower beds, well-tended hedges, a fruit garden and pond. Two paddocks are situated either side of the driveway which are fenced off by post and rail. Both paddocks can be accessed through gates off the driveway and provide grazing for livestock. There are also two smaller paddocks towards the back of the house and a number of wooded areas with a mixture of mature deciduous and coniferous trees. Viewing Strictly by appointment by Savills Country Agency. Fixtures & Fittings All fixtures and fittings are excluded from the sale including garden statuary, light fittings, and other removable fittings, although some items may be available by separate negotiation. Services Mains drainage, mains water, mains electricity, oil-fired heating, high-speed broadband. Please be advised that the selling agents have not checked the services and any purchaser should satisfy themselves with the availability and adequacy of all services. Entry & Possession Entry is by agreement with vacant possession. Historic Listening: The Old Rectory is listed on the record of protected structures, National Inventory of Architectural Heritage Reg No: 14329014. Offers Offers may be submitted to the selling agents, Savills, 33 Molesworth St, Dublin 2. Email address: country@savills.ie. Best Offers Date A date for best offers may be fixed and prospective purchasers are asked to register their interest with the selling agents following inspection. The sellers reserve the right to exchange a Contract for the sale of any part of the subjects of sale ahead of a notified closing date and will not be obliged to accept the highest or any offer. The Old Rectory is located in the heart of Royal Meath, in the charming village of Kilmessan which provides facilities such as a supermarket, pub, credit union, restaurant and primary school. Dunshaughlin and Trim (both 10km) are two bustling neighbouring towns just a short drive away with an abundance of quality restaurants, hotels, pubs, and a variety of boutiques and retail stores. Kilmessan is set in lush, green countryside and surrounded by rich farmland. It is close to attractions such as Bective Abbey, Killeen Castle and the hill of Tara which is the ancient home of the High Kings of Ireland, and the world-tombs of Newgrange. As well as offering all the joys of true country living, The Old Rectory is just 39 km from Dublin City Centre and 42 km from Dublin Airport. A park and ride train service is available from the M3 Parkway (21 km), serving Dublin City hourly from early morning to late night. There is also a regular bus service to Dublin from the village operated by Bus Eireann. County Meath has a proud sporting history and can offer a wide variety of quality sporting and recreational activities for even themost active of lifestyles. The golf enthusiast is well catered for in the surrounding area with quality golf courses within a few minutes’ drive. The nearby golf courses are Royal Tara Golf Club (5 km), the famous Jack Nicklaus designed golf course at Killeen Castle (7 km), and Knightsbrook Golf Club (10 km). The championship course at Carton House is only 29 km away and played host to the 2013 Irish Open, as well as the 2018 World Amateur Team Championships. Race-goers are well catered for with Navan Racecourse (17 km) and Fairyhouse Race Course (17 km) nearby. Both of these courses are renowned and host a multitude of events throughout the year. There are a number of primary schools in the locality, with secondary education available in Trim, Dunshaughlin and Navan.
Features
Charming period property
About 10 acres
Coach house offering further potential (S.P.P)
Private rural setting in an accessible location
Formal gardens and wonderful grounds
Kilmessan Rectory (I think this is Kilcarty, or Kilcarthy), County Meath for sale August 2022 courtesy Savills.Kilmessan Rectory (I think this is Kilcarty, or Kilcarthy), County Meath for sale August 2022 courtesy Savills.Kilmessan Rectory (I think this is Kilcarty, or Kilcarthy), County Meath for sale August 2022 courtesy Savills.Kilmessan Rectory (I think this is Kilcarty, or Kilcarthy), County Meath for sale August 2022 courtesy Savills.Kilmessan Rectory (I think this is Kilcarty, or Kilcarthy), County Meath for sale August 2022 courtesy Savills.Kilmessan Rectory (I think this is Kilcarty, or Kilcarthy), County Meath for sale August 2022 courtesy Savills.
Detached seven-bay former country house, built c. 1770, remodelled and renovated in Gothic Revival style, c. 1830. Comprising square-plan two-bay five-stage central tower flanked by two-bay two-storey blocks with single-bay three-stage slightly projecting towers to ends. Flat-roofed porch to front (east) elevation. Lean-to glasshouse addition to south elevation, single-bay garage extension with pitched tiled roof to north elevation, and multiple-bay single-storey lean-to extension with corrugated-iron roof to rear (west) elevation. Now in use as house. Pitched slate roofs with crenellated parapets and cast-iron rainwater goods. Rendered walls with render string course. Render cruciform recesses and lancet niches with limestone sills to central tower. Square-headed openings with render label mouldings and limestone sills, having timber casement windows and replacement uPVC windows to front elevation, and timber casement windows to north elevation. Square-headed openings with six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows to rear elevation and north elevation. Fixed pane coloured glass window to rear elevation. Round-headed window openings to third stage of end towers and fifth stage of central tower with render hood mouldings, limestone sills and timber casement windows with Y-tracery. Square-headed opening with render label moulding and timber panelled half-glazed door to front elevation. Pointed arch opening with timber panelled half-glazed double leaf doors to front porch, flanked by lancet openings with fixed pane windows. Rendered square-profile piers to site entrance.
Appraisal
Built as a summer residence for the Villiers family of Dromana, this imposing house retains much of its form and character. The castle style theme culminates in the central tower complete with decorative stepped, battlemented parapets. The coherent decorative theme is continued through the use of cross loops and label mouldings. Situated at the end of a long avenue, this house presents a strong silhouette in the landscape.
Lasting impressions of Youghal are good: not least Mistletoe Castle. This romantically named extraordinary sight lies 1.2 kilometres south of the border of Counties Cork and Waterford and is the most northerly building within the town boundary. If the symmetry of Red House and the tower that is Tynte’s Castle and the crenellations of South Abbey National School and the pointed arched windows of St Mary’s Church were thrown into an architectural blender, Mistletoe Castle may well appear. It’s a skinny rich seven bay country house dating from the 1770s which was given its dramatic Dracula meets Rapunzel meets cardboard cutout Gothic Revival makeover six decades later. The road facing front jumps between two, three and five storeys to deliver a gigantic crenellated crenellation roofline.
Sam Maderson of Keystone Masonry based in Tallow, County Waterford, completed a four year apprenticeship at Weymouth School of Stonemasonry, now located in Poundbury, Dorset. He then won a year long scholarship with The Prince’s Foundationto study the restoration and conservation of historical buildings. His career working in stone began two decades ago restoring his family home, a historic coach house in Cappoquin, County Waterford. Sam and his team of masons worked on the recent restoration of the limestone and rendered Mistletoe Castle. Built as the summer residence of the Villiers-Stuarts of Dromana House in Cappoquin, County Waterford, it gleams even under a rain cloud which suddenly appears upon departure from Youghal.
Like many 18th century residential buildings in central Dublin, the facade of Ely House is extremely plain, of red brick with only the pedimented stone fan- and side-lit doorcase offering some interest. Of four storeys-over-basement, the building had been bought in 1770 by Henry Loftus from Dublin physician and property developer Gustavus Hume. The previous year, following the death of his unmarried nephew, the hitherto somewhat impoverished Loftus had inherited a substantial estate and the title Viscount Loftus: the following year he would be created Earl of Ely. Known for his social pretensions, he would be mocked as ‘Count Loftonzo’ in the satirical History of Barataria published in the Freeman’s Journal in Spring 1771. The work he commissioned at Rathfarnham Castle, County Dublin has already been discussed here (see A Whiter Shade of Pale « The Irish Aesthete and Flying High « The Irish Aesthete). Although Loftus already owned a house in the capital on Cavendish Row, following his inheritance evidently he felt the need to cross the river Liffey and occupy a new property, hence the purchase of Ely House. Unusual because of its size, the building was originally of six bays, a seventh being acquired on the left-hand (north) side in the 19th century around the time the house was divided into two properties: today it is near-impossible to photograph the entire exterior of the house without being assaulted by traffic: hence the somewhat truncated image here. When first occupied, the attic floor seemingly contained a private, sixty-seat theatre with space for an orchestra. The Freeman’s Journal of 19th April 1785 reports on the performance of both a tragedy (‘The Distressed Mother’) and a comedy (‘All the World’s a Stage’), both acted by friends of the earl’s second and much-younger wife, Anne Bonfoy. Sadly, nothing of this theatre now survives. But other parts of the remarkable interior remain to be explored.
The rear of Ely House’s groundfloor is given over to the double-height stair hall, the steps of which are of Portland Stone, while the panelled balustrade is made of wrought iron and carved gilt-wood. At the base can be seen a life-size figure of Hercules, resting from his Labours. The latter are then depicted as one ascends the staircase, although not in the correct narrative order: shown here is the eagle killed with an arrow by the mythical hero. The inspiration for this work is believed to have been a substantially larger staircase in the Palace of Charles of Lorraine in Brussels – now a museum – created by the Flemish sculptor Laurent Delvaux in 1769. The stuccodore Barthelemy Cremillion, who had been employed in Ireland in the second half of the 1750s, was responsible for the Brussels palace plasterwork and is therefore thought to have been behind the similar scheme in Ely House since by this date he had returned to Dublin. On the other hand, Professor Christine Casey has pointed out that the stoneyard of sculptor John van Nost adjoined Lord Ely’s property and that both he and Cremillion had worked at the same time on the decoration of the city’s Lying-in Hospital (otherwise known as the Rotunda Hospital), so he may also have been involved here.
Many of the reception rooms in Ely House, Dublin, are rather plain, although it retains some splendid chimneypieces again thought to have been the work of John van Nost. One of the ground floor reception rooms features a series of figurative ovals and roundels depicting a variety of scenes and surrounded by pendants and swirls that look like strings of pearls. It used to be judged that this plasterwork was part of the house’s 18th century decoration but more recently the scheme is considered to date from the late 19th/early 20th century when the building was occupied by the wealthy surgeon and collector Sir Thornley Stoker (incidentally, the elder brother of Bram Stoker, author of Dracula): he lived here from 1890 to 1911 and filled the building with his valuable collection of art and furniture, alas all auctioned before his death in 1912. The room directly above certainly suggests a relatively recent vintage, the figures here looking as though they had stepped out of the work of an Edwardian illustrator like Kate Greenaway. Since 1923, Ely House has been owned by the Knights of St Columbanus, an Irish Roman Catholic society which uses the building as its national headquarters.
Dublin’s Ely House was supposedly built as a townhouse in 1771 by Henry Loftus, 3rd Earl of Ely, though recent research suggests he may have bought it from developer, Gustavus Hume. It was originally built with six bays. In 1811 Nathaniel Callwell added the left entrance door to create two houses and the central entrance hall was re-planned. The house remained in private ownership until Lady Aberdeen secured the lease for use as the Women’s National Health Association headquarters circa 1908. In 1923 the present owners, the Knights of St. Columbanus, acquired the building. The Knights applied to the Irish Georgian Society in 2003 for funds to restore the Palladian window in the stairwell as part of a larger conservation programme. Inappropriate repairs, damaged flashings, and water ingress had left the window in poor condition. The Society, recognising the importance of this project, provided over sixty percent of the window project funds.
Brief description of project: The repair of the Palladian window entailed cleaning the granite stone, removing cement repairs and corroded iron bars, re-fixing the stone arch with stainless steel rods, fitting matching stone grafts with stainless steel pins, and providing new lead flashings.
The majestic building, now restored, continues to serve the Knights of St. Columbanus and stands as an important example of Dublin’s rich Georgian architectural and cultural history.
Architectural description: The house is a brick terraced house of seven bays and four storeys with a pitched roof and brick chimneystacks. Sash windows of nine-over-nine exist on the ground and first floors, while windows of six-over-six and three-over-three configuration are to the second floor and third floors, respectively. The left entry door added in 1811 is graced with Ionic columns and is topped by a fanlight. Each window on the first floor also maintains an early-nineteenth century cast iron balcony. The interior is ornate and boasts impressive Neoclassical detail, the most significant feature being the grand, Portland stone staircase. It features an extravagant, wrought iron and panelled balustrade with carved gilt-wood which portrays the Labours of Hercules. At its base is a statue of Hercules which is joined to the handrail. The rest of the stairhall displays intricate plasterwork complete with festoons, masks, and flower-baskets.
Attached seven-bay four-storey over basement former mansion, built c. 1770, with additions 1956 and c. 1975 to rear (east). Now in commercial office use. M-profile slate roof, hipped to north end with pitched roof over central rear (east) bay, running perpendicular to street and hipped to east end, concealed behind brick parapet with lead flashing over. Multiple chimneystacks with lipped yellow clay pots including shouldered rendered chimneystack to south party wall, buff brick chimneystack to centre, and red brick chimneystack to north party wall. Concealed gutters with uPVC hopper and downpipe breaking through to north end and rear (east). Red brick walling laid in Flemish bond, refaced in English garden wall bond to third floor, over ruled-and-lined rendered walling to basement with granite stringcourse over. Ruled-and-lined rendered walling to rear elevation (east). Square-headed window openings with projecting granite sills, patent reveals and brick voussoirs with ornate cast-iron balconettes affixed to first floor openings. Plain surrounds to basement and rear (east) openings. Largely nine-over-six timber sliding sash windows, six-over-six to second floor and basement, three-over-three to third floor; some upper floor windows having convex or profiled horns. Round-headed door opening to central bay, flanked by three-light sidelights and framed by a carved stone doorcase comprising; engaged Doric columns on plinth stops rising to triglyphed frieze and lead-lined cornice with projecting open-base pediment over simplified spoked fanlight and raised-and-field timber panelled door with brass furniture. Granite entrance platform with single step to street flanked by cast-iron lamp standards and cast-iron railings with decorative corner posts on granite plinth enclosing basement wells to north and south. Round-headed door opening to northern bay with moulded reveals and sandstone doorcase comprising stylised Ionic columns on plinth stops rising to fluted frieze with moulded cornice and spoked fanlight over panelled timber door, opening onto ramped granite entrance platform with single step to street. Square-headed door opening located beneath south-end entrance platform with rendered doorcase flanked by stepped piers rising to open-base pediment, with wired glass overlight and timber panelled door. Basement well to south accessed by recent concrete steps with steel handrail from street level. Plainly detailed square-headed door opening to south end of basement level with recent four-panelled timber door. Basement well to north accessed by recent steel steps from street level. Street fronted onto the west side of Ely Place facing the junction with Hume Street to the west. A plaque on the principal façade indicates that theoretical physicist George Francis Fitzgerald lived here from 1851 to 1901.
Appraisal
Originally named Hume Row, Ely Place was laid out in 1768, and was named after the surgeon Gustavus Hume who built his house at No. 1 Hume Street (now demolished). Following the construction of this large townhouse in 1770, Ely Place (originally Hume Row) developed as a desirable residential street throughout the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. The house was originally thought to have been constructed by Henry Loftus, third Earl of Ely after whom the street and house are named, but Casey (2005) notes that a recent re-examination of the title deeds suggests that it may have been purchased from Hume. The house became famous in the late eighteenth-century for the lavish entertainments hosted by the Countess of Ely including a unique sixty seat theatre in the attic, nothing of which survives but which was reputed to have been the first of its kind in Ireland. The northern bay was added at some point during the nineteenth-century, when the building was subdivided and a three-bay house (No. 7)created at the northern end, indicated by the separate doorcase to the northern bay. Ely House is a focal point within the streetscape, successfully terminating the vista along Hume Street from St. Stephen’s Green, the grand façade is characterised by balanced proportions and restrained detailing which is enriched by two neo-classical doorcases and cast-iron balconettes. Despite the insertion of some replacement fabric and having been extensively altered to the rear during the mid-twentieth century, the former mansion is well preserved example of the Dublin Georgian idiom on a grand scale, which makes a vital contribution to the architectural continuity of this important streetscape. Additionally, the remaining interior features of note include a finely carved Portland stone staircase with relief profiles depicting the Labours of Hercules, and fine stuccowork, both thought to have been executed by Flemish sculptor Bartholomew Cramillion. The remaining interior is largely neo-classical in style, with finely stuccoed ceilings, ornate marble chimneypieces and rare paktong doorknobs and escutcheons. No. 7 was the residence of the theoretical physicist George Francis Fitzgerald in the latter part of the nineteenth century.
References to IGS Bulletins and Journals:
‘Private theatricals in Irish houses, 1730-1815’
Author: Patricia McCarthy
Irish Architectural and Decorative Studies Vol XVI — 2013
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. 18. “(Ormsby/iFR) A mid to late C18 house of two storeys over a basement, with a simple five bay front of unusually satisfying proportions. Pedimented tripartite doorway, with broad flight of stps leading up to it. Sold 1938 to Order of St. John of God, which gave it to the Western Care Association as an institution for mentally handicapped children 1974.”
Ballinamore, County Mayo, Photography by James Fraher, National Inventory.
Detached five-bay (four-bay deep) two-storey over part raised basement country house, extant 1777, on a square plan. Damaged, 1798. Occupied, 1911. Sold, 1936, to accommodate alternative use. Resold, 1974, to accommodate alternative use. Vacated, 1995. For sale, 1996. “Restored”, 1997-8, to accommodate alternative use. Hipped slate roof on a quadrangular plan with pressed or rolled lead ridges, paired central chimney stacks on axis with ridge having cut-limestone stringcourses below capping supporting terracotta tapered pots, and cast-iron rainwater goods on wrought iron spandrels on cut-limestone eaves retaining cast-iron octagonal or ogee hoppers and downpipes. Roughcast walls on dragged cut-limestone chamfered cushion course on roughcast base with drag edged rusticated cut-limestone quoins to corners. Square-headed central door opening in tripartite arrangement approached by flight of eight dragged cut-limestone steps between cast-iron railings, drag edged dragged cut-limestone doorcase with monolithic pilasters on rusticated base supporting floating pediment on “guttae”-detailed “triglyph” consoles framing timber panelled double doors having four-over-four timber sash sidelights without horns. Square-headed window openings including square-headed window openings to rear (south) elevation centred on round-headed window opening in tripartite arrangement (half-landing) with drag edged dragged cut-limestone sills, and concealed dressings framing three-over-three (basement), six-over-six (ground floor) or six-over-three (first floor) timber sash windows without horns having part exposed sash boxes with six-over-six (ground floor) or six-over-three (first floor) timber sash windows to rear (south) elevation centred on six-over-six timber sash window (half-landing) having two-over-two sidelights below fanlight. Interior including (ground floor): central entrance hall on a square plan retaining tessellated tiled floor, decorative plasterwork cornice to ceiling centred on “Acanthus”-detailed plasterwork ceiling rose, and round-headed niches centred on Classical-style surround to opening into inner hall framing glazed timber panelled double doors; top-lit double-height inner hall on a rectangular plan retaining carved timber surrounds to door openings framing timber panelled doors, and egg-and-dart detailed plasterwork cornice to ceiling centred on “Greek Key”-detailed lantern; segmental-headed opening into staircase hall; double-height staircase hall (south) retaining bifurcating staircase on an Imperial plan with turned timber balusters supporting carved timber banister terminating in volutes, carved timber surround to window opening to half-landing framing timber panelled splayed reveals or shutters on panelled risers, and decorative plasterwork cornice to ceiling centred on decorative plasterwork ceiling rose; and carved timber surrounds to door openings to remainder framing timber panelled doors with carved timber surrounds to window openings framing timber panelled shutters on panelled risers. Set in landscaped grounds. Photography by James Fraher
A country house representing an important component of the mid eighteenth-century domestic built heritage of the rural environs of Kiltimagh with the architectural value of the composition, ‘[a] house…of unusually satisfying proportions’ (Bence-Jones 197, 18), confirmed by such attributes as the deliberate alignment maximising on panoramic vistas overlooking landscaped grounds and the meandering Geestaun River; the compact near-square plan form centred on a Classically-detailed doorcase demonstrating good quality workmanship (cf. 31303801; 31307104); the definition of the principal floor as a slightly elevated “piano nobile”; and the diminishing in scale of the openings on each floor producing a graduated visual impression. Having been well maintained, the elementary form and massing survive intact together with substantial quantities of the original fabric, both to the exterior and to the interior, including crown or cylinder glazing panels in hornless sash frames: meanwhile, contemporary joinery; Classical-style chimneypieces; and decorative plasterwork enrichments, all highlight the artistic potential of the composition. Furthermore, an adjoining chapel (see 31308003); an adjacent quadrangle (see 31308004); and a substantial walled garden (extant 1838), all continue to contribute positively to the group and setting values of an estate having historic connections with the Ormsby family including Colonel Anthony Ormsby (d. 1823); Thomas Ormsby (d. 1836; NUIG); Anthony Ormsby (1820-82), ‘High Sheriff of County Mayo [fl. 1849] late of Ballinamore County Mayo (Calendars of Wills and Administrations 1882, 608); John Yeadon Ormsby (1822-88) and Anne Ormsby (née Bowen-Miller) (1834-1913) ‘late of Ballinamore House Kiltimagh County Mayo’ (Calendars of Wills and Administrations 1888, 576; 1918, n.p.); and John Yeadon Ormsby (1864-1944), later of Toronto, Canada.
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. 238. “(Brabazon, sub Meath, E/PB; McClintock/IFR; Dillon, V/PB) A mid-C18 gable-ended house of two storeys over basement. Five bay front with pedimented breakfront. Lunette window in pediment; Venetian window in upper storey; round-headed doorway with sidelights below. Long flight of steps to entrance door.”
Lambert Brabazon (1742-1811) of Rath House, Termonfeckin, County Louth, 18th Century School, courtesy Adam’s 17th May 2005. He had a brother Henry (1739-1811) who had a son Henry (1771-1815).Lambert Brabazon (1742-1811) of Rath House, County Louth as a Mid-shipman (Young Naval Officer) by Robert Hunter, courtesy Adams Irish Old Masters May 2025.Henry Brabazon in a green coat courtesy, 18th Century School, Adam’s 17 May 2005 – I’m not sure which Henry Brabazon this is, but since sold at the same time as Lambert Brabazon portrait, probably Henry Brabazon (1739-1811) of Rath House, County Louth.Henry Brabazon in a blue coat, 19th Century School, courtesy Adam’s 17 May 2005. I’m not sure which Henry Brabazon this is, probably Henry Brabazon (1771-1815) of Seafield House, son of Henry Brabazon (1739-1811) of Rath House, County Louth.Sidney Brabazon in a blue dress, Irish School, 18th Century, courtesy Adam’s 17 May 2005.Hilary Brabazon in a mauve dress, Irish School, 18th Century, courtesy Adam’s 17 May 2005.
Rath House, County Louth, courtesy National Inventory.
Detached five-bay two-storey house over basement and with attic, built c. 1770. Pedimented breakfront to south, two-storey over basement blocks to north-west and north-east, multiple-storey flat-roofed extensions to north. Pitched slate roofs, clay ridge tiles, red brick corbelled chimneystacks, flat-capped chimneystack to north-west block, painted moulded cornice to breakfront, cast-iron gutters on painted moulded smooth rendered eaves course, cast-iron downpipes. Painted roughcast-rendered walling, battered basement, string course to south. Square-headed window openings, painted smooth rendered soffits and reveals, painted tooled stone sills, painted timber two-over-two and six-over-six sliding sash windows c. 1870, timber casement windows to attic and basement, wrought-iron window bars to basement; round-headed window opening to north, vertical and horizontal glazing bars, margin lights; plain-glazed lunette to breakfront, moulded rendered surround. Round-headed door opening to south, moulded render archivolt, fluted keystone, pilasters supporting heavy moulded cornice, painted timber panelled door with glazed panels, painted timber Y-tracery fanlight, sidelights with painted stone sills and smooth rendered surrounds, tooled limestone steps with roughcast-rendered flanking walls, cast-iron boot scraper; square-headed door opening to west, smooth rendered soffits and reveals, painted timber panelled door with glazed panels and overlight. Set in own grounds; random rubble boundary wall to west, brick and smooth rendered domed niche in wall; cobbled yard to north, single- and two-storey roughcast-rendered and red brick outbuildings to north and south-east, pitched slate roofs, square- and segmental-headed openings, wine vault to ground floor and pedimented door to first floor north outbuilding, tooled limestone steps with red brick walling, pigeon holes to east elevation south-east outbuilding; red brick walling to west, square-headed gateway to walled garden, random rubble stone walling; red brick walling to east, segmental-headed gateway; single- and two-storey outbuildings to east and north, random rubble bellcote to gable, square- and segmental-headed openings with brick surrounds and external steps to east outbuilding; parking area to south and drive to south-east; entrance to south-east, random rubble stone square gate piers, pyramidal caps, wrought- and cast-iron gates, random rubble stone quadrant walls, soldier coping.
Appraisal
This attractive country house has a simple symmetrical form which is strengthened by the central breakfront providing an elegant entrance bay. The doorway is particularly interesting with its Venetian form and fine rendered detailing. The varied outbuildings to the rear are also noteworthy, with a mixture of features that offer an insight into the diverse actions of a country house.
Rath House, County Louth, courtesy National Inventory.
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. 198. “(Stafford/LGI1912) A two storey house of ca 1770. 7 bay front, Ionic doorcase.”
Bellevue, Cross Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin A94D2K4
€2,150,000
4 Bed
3 Bath
321 m²
for sale April 2025, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald
Welcome to Bellevue. Dating back to 1770, Bellevue is a large historic home that was separated into three individual properties in the middle of the last century. The house is steeped in history, and it was here that Éamon de Valera drafted the Constitution while he and his family lived here during the 1930s. Former President of Ireland Éamon De Valera, who lived in Bellevue for most of the 1930’s and wrote the Constitution in the property, once said that he spent his happiest years in Bellevue, and he moved back to Cross Avenue after serving as President. The house has been a home for the present owners for almost half a century. Bellevue is one of the oldest houses in south Dublin. Built in the 1770s by the Countess of Brandon, it once stood on a thousand acres. Later additions were made in the Victorian era by a succession of owners and families including a ballroom. Approached via a wide gravelled driveway this character-filled property has beautiful period features with tiled and granite steps with two lions either side. There are double doors leading to a tiled entrance porch which leads to the main entrance hallway. There is parquet flooring in the dining room and main drawing room. There is a large kitchen accessed through sliding doors from the dining area, which has lovely views over the rear garden. Downstairs has beautiful ceiling cornicing work and pillared entrance to the dining room, and original sash windows with working shutters. From the hall level there is a door which has granite steps leading to the large rear gardens which is a real oasis of calm and the ideal space to enjoy the sunshine. Upstairs at first floor level; there are two large bedrooms. The main one has a dual aspect with lovely views over both front and rear. There is a large family bathroom and a further shower room at this level. On the top floor there are two very spacious attic rooms (currently used as guest spaces) with Velux windows to both front and rear. At basement level, which comes with its own separate entrance to the front of the property there are two further bedrooms, a cosy living room, fully fitted kitchen and shower room. The front driveway provides parking for five plus cars and is very private, tucked in behind a high hedge onto Cross Avenue with its own storage shed. There is private vehicular and pedestrian access to a laneway which runs behind the terrace of houses here. The large rear garden, mainly laid in lawn is an oasis of calm and the ideal place to enjoy the sunshine and for dining al fresco. There are lots of mature trees and flowering shrubs and plants giving colour all year round. Renowned schools such as Blackrock College, St Andrew’s College, Willow Park and Sion Hill are all within a short stroll, while UCD and the Smurfit Business School are within an easy commute as well as Coláiste Íosagáin and Coláiste Eoin. The convenience of the location is second to none with a wealth of amenities on the doorstep including local shops. Blackrock Village with its array of specialty shops, cafes and restaurants is a pleasant stroll, while The Merrion, Stillorgan and Dundrum shopping centres are within a short drive. Public Transport is well catered for with Booterstown Dart Station and the Quality Bus Corridors on the Rock Road and Stillorgan Road. Dublin Bay can be enjoyed via Booterstown Strand and Bird Sanctuary while local parks with modern children’s playgrounds are within easy reach at Booterstown & Blackrock. Entrance Hall 1.97m x 2.11m. Accessed via tiled, granite steps via double doors, tiled porch with arched sash windows on either side, ceiling corning. Dining Room 3.47m x 6.04m. Lovely reception dining room with ornate pillared entrance to dining area, parquet flooring and two sash windows with working shutters and sliding doors leading to Kitchen/breakfast Room 5.31m x 4.06m. Large wooden built kitchen with good range of wall and floor presses and cupboards, double oven, provision for fridge/freezer. Sink unit with tiled splashback, large bay window overlooking the rear garden and ample space for table and chairs for casual dining. Door to rear hallway with steps leading to garden. Drawing Room 8.88m x 3.93m. Lovely bright dual aspect room with original sash windows to front and rear with working shutters and a lovely bay window to the rear with window seat with a beautiful view over the rear garden. Parquet flooring, ceiling coving and marble Adams fireplace. Can be accessed from the front and rear hallways. Landing and stairs to First Floor 8.61m x 1.88m. Lovely sash window on the landing over looking the rear garden and door to front balcony over the entrance porch. Main Bedroom 8.88m x 4.06m. Large dual aspect bedroom with original fireplace and black granite hearth and ceiling coving. There is original parquet flooring with original sash windows and working shutters on front and rear windows. Bedroom 2 4.88m x 3.93m. Large double bedroom to the front with ceiling coving, dual sash windows and working shutters, original parquet flooring and built in dresser and wardrobe. Bathroom 2.96m x 3.93m. Large family bathroom to rear with tiled floor and wainscotting, bay window overlooking the rear garden with sash windows and working shutters, free standing bath with claw feet, wash hand basin with mirror over and wc, recessed lighting and panelled ceiling. Shower Room 1.36m x 3.12m. Partially tiled walls with tiled floor, large shower cubicle, wash hand basin with mirror, heated towel rail and wc. Landing and stairs to Top Floor With large storge cupboard on the landing Attic Room 1 5.33m x 4.06m. Large room with wooden flooring and panelled ceiling, two Velux windows front and rear. Attic Room 2 5.33m x 3.93m. Large room with wooden flooring and panelled ceiling, two Velux windows, the one at the rear giving sea glimpses. Eaves storage. Ground Floor Level Accessed via stairs from hall/entrance level. Hallway 9.61m x 1.88m. Door leading to the front garden with a little area to sit and read in the sunshine. Storage cupboard. Living Room 6.01m x 4.06m. With wooden flooring and window to front, open fireplace with tiled inset and hearth. Door to Bedroom 4 2.77m x 4.06m. Double bedroom with window, wooden flooring. Bedroom 3 3.97m x 3.93m. Large double bedroom to the rear with wooden flooring and recessed lighting and window to the rear. Shower Room Fully tiled with shower cubicle, wash hand basin and mirror, wc and window to the side. Kitchen 4.81m x 3.93m. With wooden flooring, range of cupboards with sink unit and provision for all kitchen appliances. Cupboard with boiler and window to the front.
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. 298. “(Wyndham-Quin, Dunraven, E/PB) A house built 1777 for Windham-Quin, father of the 1st Earl of Dunraven; 2 storey, three bay front, unusal two part windows. Enclosed porch with engaged Ionic columns, Long two storey wing. A dower house of Adare Manor, now the home of Nancy, Countess of Dunraven.”
Detached three-bay two-storey country house, built c. 1777, having porch to front (south) elevation, canted full-height bay to west elevation, recent single-storey extension to east elevation and three-bay single-storey extension to rear (north) elevation. Hipped slate roof with cast-iron brackets, rainwater goods and rendered chimneystacks. Hipped and pitched slate roofs to extensions with rendered chimneystacks. Roughcast rendered walls. Square-headed openings having bipartite four-over-four pane timber sliding sash windows and limestone sills. Round-headed opening to rear with spoked fanlight over multipane timber sliding sash window. Square-headed openings to rear having six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows. Square-headed openings to porch, east and west elevations, with four-over-four pane timber sliding sash windows and limestone sills. Square-headed opening to porch having timber panelled door. Round-headed opening beyond porch with spoked fanlight over half-glazed timber panelled door. Carved Ionic limestone columns to porch supporting entablature having triglyph style motifs and roundels with floral motifs supporting carved cornice. Carved Ionic limestone pilasters to porch, east and west elevations. Single-bay single-storey outbuilding to north-west. Hipped thatched roof. Rubble limestone walls with partial brick walls to south elevation. Square-headed opening to east elevation having timber battened door and flanking fixed windows. Rubble limestone walled garden to south. Multiple-bay single-storey outbuilding to east with pitched slate roof. Rubble limestone walls. Square-headed openings, some with bipartite two-over-two pane timber sliding sash windows, some with two-over-two timber sliding sash windows, and some having fixed windows. Square-headed openings, some with brick voussoirs having timber battened doors. Elliptical-headed arch to east elevation with double-leaf timber battened doors. Timber battened stalls to interior. Two-bay two-storey outbuilding to south-east, having extensions to south and west elevations. Pitched slate roof and rendered chimneystacks. Rubble limestone walls with cast-iron patris plates. Rendered walls to south and west elevations. Square-headed openings with two-over-two pane timber sliding sash windows, those to first floor having brick voussoirs. Square-headed openings with timber battened doors. Pair of square-profile rubble limestone piers to east leading to east courtyard. Pair of roughcast rendered piers to south having double-leaf cast-iron gates and rendered sweeping walls terminating in rubble limestone boundary walls.
Appraisal
This handsome house, set in a mature landscape, maintains distinctive features characteristic of mid-to-late eighteenth century architecture, including the reserved classically derived proportions and detailing, all of which enhance the architectural value of the composition. Well maintained, the house presents an early aspect with much of the original form intact, together with a number of important features and materials including the bipartite windows and cast-iron eaves brackets. The salvaged porch is a notable later addition, which adds artistic interest to the façade. The attendant outbuildings present an historic aspect and contribute positively to the group and setting qualities of the site. A pleasant gateway of simple design distinction enhances the visual appeal of the street scene. The estate is of particular importance in the locality, being the original seat of the Lords Dunraven and former dower house of Adare Manor.
Occupied by George Fosberry in the early 1850s held from the Earl of Dunraven and valued at £30. An inventory of the furniture at Kilgobbin was compiled in June 1923 for A.P.Pollock. It is still extant.
Kilmoyle, Limerick, Co Limerick
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.
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. 14. “(Westropp/IFR; Hewson/IFR) A two storey early to mid-C18 house. 5 bay centre with pediment; two storey two bay early C19 wings slightly lower than central block.”
Was section 482 in 2000. Contact Brian and Bridie O’Connell, 061 440521
A two storey mid 18th century house with a five bay central block. The two 2-bay wings are early 19th century additions. A fine Gibbsian door surround graces the main front.
Detached five-bay two-storey over basement country house, built c. 1770, comprising three-bay pedimented breakfront flanked on each side by a single-bay two-storey section. Further flanked by slightly projecting lower two-bay two-storey wings dating to the early nineteenth century. Square-headed window openings to first floor with six over six timber sash windows to main five-bay house with three over three timber sash windows to first floor of wings. Segmental-headed window openings to ground floor with six over six timber sash windows. Square-headed door opening with overlight and Gibbsian surround. Roughcast rendered walls with plat band at first floor sill level uniting all nine bays. Central window with shouldered surround. Enclosed yard to rear with cust stone stables.
Appraisal
Attyflin Park is an important house architecturally and historically within County Limerick. Its association with T.J. Westropp, a notable antiquarian in Victorian Ireland and a collector of folklore, who was born at Attyflin Park is of significant historical importance. Despite alterations, this house has retained its original character. Features such as the Gibbsian door surround and the ornate coat of arms in the front façade’s pediment, along with the stables, enhance the architectural heritage value of Attyflin Park.
Irish Historic Houses 
