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.
1978; Revised edition 1988 Constable and Company Ltd, London.]
p. 283. “(Barton/IFR) A two storey five bay late-Georgian house with a fanlighted doorway, its front prolonged by a slightly lower two storey one bay gable-ended wing. Owned in C19 by a branch of the O’Sullivan family, now the home of Lt-Col and Mrs H.D.M. Barton.”
Detached L-plan five-bay two-storey late-Georgian house, built c. 1835, possibly incorporating fabric of earlier house. Round-headed door opening to centre having single-bay two-storey lower recessed end bay to right. Two-bay two-storey lean-to lower return to rear to north-west having single-bay single-storey lean-to projecting bay. Pitched and hipped concrete tile roofs with cat-slides at rear, and having rendered haunched chimneystacks. Painted rendered walls. Timber six-over-six pane sliding sash windows to main building and two-over-two and four-over-four pane sliding sash windows to annexe, all having limestone sills. Recessed timber panelled door with spoked fanlight. Liscannor flags to steps and terrace. Detached seven-bay single-storey rubble stone-built outbuilding with half-dormer attic, built c. 1835, to north-west on an L-shaped plan comprising four-bay single-storey range with three-bay single-storey projecting bay to south having elliptical-headed integral carriage arch and door opening to first floor approached by flight of steps. Renovated to accommodate residential use. Detached six-bay two-storey rubble stone-built outbuilding, built c. 1835, to south possibly originally boathouse. Gateway, built c. 1835, to east comprising pair of rubble stone piers with wrought-iron gates.
Edward J. Hartopp was leasing this property at Coad, valued at £14 15s, to Eugene O’Sullivan at the time of Griffith’s Valuation. Lewis mentions Castle Cove as the residence of Mr. O’Sullivan in 1837 but he may have meant this house. In 1814, Leet noted Cooe as the seat of John Sesggerson and Bary states that, prior to the O’Sullivan occupation, West Cove was the seat of the Seggerson family. It is still extant and sometimes let as holiday accommodation.
Kildevin, County Westmeath, photograph courtesy Irish Independent.Kildevin, County Westmeath entrance front c. 1975, photograph: William Garner, Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.
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. 167. “(Tyndall/LG1952 supp) A two storey late-Georgian house built 1833 by Robert Sproule, possibly a member of the family of architects of that name. Two storey; one bay on either side of deep central bow, which is balustraded and rises a storey above the rest of the front and continues as a balustraded attic through the depth of the house to form a similar bow at the back, facing the farmyard. Entrance door in bow, with pilasters and entablature. Bracket cornice. Subsequently the home of Mr and Mrs H.S.Tyndall.”
Detached three-bay two-storey over a basement (to rear) country house, dated 1833, with projecting three-storey semi-circular bow to centre of front façade (northwest) and a four-storey (over basement) semi-circular bow to the centre of the rear façade (southeast), containing the staircase, both with balustraded parapets. Currently being restored after been derelict for a number of years and in use as a private dwelling. Hipped natural slate roof with cut stone eaves cornice with paired brackets to eaves and ashlar limestone chimneystacks having decorative terracotta chimney pots over. Constructed of squared coursed limestone rubble. Square-headed window openings with six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows, three-over-three pane to top level of bow projection to front and three-over-six to top storey of bow to rear. Square-headed doorcase to front bow (northwest) having cut limestone doorcase, which curves around bow, having Doric pilasters on square-plan supporting emphatic cornice over. Sheeted timber double doors having inscribed limestone lintel over with ‘Robert Sproule 1833’. Front door reached by flight of cut stone steps flanked by balustraded parapets to either side. Curved screen walls with balustraded parapet run away from house to either end of the entrance front (northwest). Set back from the road in extensive mature grounds to the north of Streete with extensive collection of outbuildings to the rear (15400211) and with main entrance gates to the west and northwest.
Appraisal
A very fine and quite distinctive county house, which retains its early character and form. There is a boldness to the design of this house, with the dramatic full height bows making it a building that could well be of a unique design. The appearance of this structure is quite imposing and, perhaps even a bit daunting, with the projecting towers giving it an appearance that has been described as being ‘vaguely naval’ and ‘institutional’. It is built using robust local limestone, which is almost ashlar in quality, and this helps to reinforce the robust nature of this structure. Kildevin house is currently undergoing a very thorough and sensitive restoration, of which the present owners must be complimented. This house was built to designs by the original owner, Robert Sproule, who was a magistrate in the Streete area during the mid nineteenth-century. Sproule was an authoritarian figure of much local notoriety and, apparently, he used the basement of Kildevin House as a temporary prison from time to time. Cast-iron chains and restraining devices are still insitu according to local information. A ‘police station’ was located to the west of the house, within the grounds of Kildevin, adjacent to the main road in 1837 (Ordnance Survey Map). Perhaps the curious designs to Kildevin House can be attributed to the authoritarian nature of Sproule as he could have used the balustraded towers to keep an eye on local activities and, subsequently, for intimidation purposes. It was later the home of the Tyndall Family and of an Edith Wise, a cousin of William Butler Yeats and it is believed that Yates stayed in the house on several occasions. Kildevin House forms the centrepiece of an interesting group of related structures with the outbuildings to the rear (15400211) and the main gates to the west and constitutes an important element of the architectural heritage and history of the area.
Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.
p. 141. Very interesting two storey house built in 1833 with three storey bow in the centre of both front and rere facades. Signed Robert Sproule 1833 above the doorcase, presumably a member of the family of architects and builders of the same name. Interesting plan with oval entrance hall. Derelict.
482 in 2017
Kildevin House
Kildevin, Street, Co Westmeath John Matthews Tel: 087-9290421 Open: May 4-31, June 12-30, July 1-22, closed Sundays and Bank Holidays, 9am- 1pm
Kildevin house is a fully restored Georgian-style mansion on 88ac near Streete in Co Westmeath. The land is in a mixture of grazing and forestry and the entire comes to market with a guide price of €950,000.
Kildevin, County Westmeath, photograph courtesy Irish Independent.
Located in its own townland of Ballykildevin the property is 2km from Streete, 25km from Mullingar, 27km from Longford and just over an hour from Dublin.
While technically built in the early Victorian era it has all the feel of a Georgian pile.
The place is steeped in history and was once home to Meredith Merry Johnston who played rugby for Ireland between 1877 and 1884 and captained the team to its first international rugby win.
Meredith’s wife Edith Mary Jane Wise was a first cousin of William B Yeats and according to Celia Lamb of selling agents Ganley Walters there is reason to believe that the great poet himself visited the house on more than one occasion.
Prior to this the occupants of Kildevin were more notorious than salubrious. The Sproule family built the house in 1833 and one Robert Sproule was known as “an authoritarian figure of much local notoriety’ who emigrated to Australian ‘under duress’ in 1847. No one knows what happened him in the then penal colony but his death notice was found in Adelaide as recently as 2013.
From 1916 the place changed hands a few times and when bought by its current owners in 1998 it was in a state of considerable disrepair.
The new owners undertook a huge project to bring the place back to its former glory. According to Ms Lamb it was restored with great sensitivity and an attention to detail that ensured the integrity of the house.
The residence is approached through a tree lined avenue passing through its own parkland and leading to a broad gravel forecourt. A three-bay, two-storey, over basement structure the building has a projecting, three story semi circular bow to the centre and front of the façade.
The house proper is entered via a flight of stone steps with balustrade parapets on either side. A unique oval hall leads to the main reception rooms that include a drawing room, morning room and study. There is also an office, dining room, seven bedrooms, four bathrooms and a cellar. The kitchen is located on the lower ground floor with a sitting room and three of the bedrooms, a bathroom and a jail cell. No need for a doghouse!
Four of the bedrooms are located upstairs along with two bathrooms. The original features of the house are still intact with cornices, ornate plasterwork and sash windows.
There is an extensive cut-stone courtyard to the rear of the residence where the roofs of the buildings have been restored but much work needs to be done internally. Some of the original stables are intact complete with mangers and cobbled floors.
The lands are all in one block and surround the house. Extending to 88ac a portion of 25ac is in grass while the rest is in forestry and parkland. The forestry was planted in 2002 and its 70,000 trees include beech, red oak, oak, sycamore and ash and the plantation is subject to premiums for the next six years.
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. 75. “(Lucas, sub Lucas-Scudamore/LG-1972) A house built 1836, replacing an earlier house which may have incorporated a castle built 1591. The 1836 house consisted of a four storey tower with corner bartizans copied from the O’Neill tower at Ardgonnel, Co Armagh, and a three storey block of rubble faced with cement in what was intended to be Elizabethan or Jacobean style. Entrance front of three bays between two three sided bows and one bay on either side of them; curvilinear battlement-gables along roofline; two storey slightly projecting porch with corbelled oriel over doorway. Windows with cross mullions; hood mouldings over them in two lower storeys; bold string-courses. Not quite regular fourbay side elevation. Large square tower with square corner bartizans rising from behind the house. Tall, Tudor-style chimneys. Burnt 1920.”
In Blake, Tarquin. Abandoned Mansions of Ireland II: More Portraits of Forgotten Stately Homes. Collins Press, Cork, 2012.
Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.
Castle Shane, County Monaghan, photograph courtesy of National Inventory.
Originally a medieval house on the site was constructed in 1591, this Elizabethan or Jacobean style house was built in 1836 for the Lucas Scudamores. Castleshane consisted of a four storey tower with corner bartizans and a main 3 story block, but was burned in 1920 and very little remains.
Described in Burke’s ‘A visitation of the seats and arms of the noblemen and gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland’: “In 1836 the original edifice was pulled down, when it was replaced by a new building of moderate size, consisting of a small tower four stories high, and of a manor-house adjoining. The tower was copied from a larger one at Ardgonnel, in the county of Armagh, built by the 0’Neills ; the house is in the style, called Elizabethan, but more properly (in this case) that of James the First. The whole, with its annexed offices, presents an imposing appearance from the mail-coach road, which passes through the demesne, leading from Castle Blayney to Monaghan. It is, however, to be regretted that a work, correct in its design, should not have been executed in more durable materials than rubble-stone coated with cement.”
The house had 3 centre bays with 3 sided bays to each side with mullioned windows, curvilinear gables and tall tudor chimneys. All that remains is part of a three storey bay window and gable end – the rest having been demolished. There is also a much extended gatelodge and an unusual bell-cote in the walled garden.
In Blake, Tarquin. Abandoned Mansions of Ireland II: More Portraits of Forgotten Stately Homes. Collins Press, Cork, 2012.
THE LUCASES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY MONAGHAN, WITH 9,955 ACRES
THOMAS LUCAS, of Saxham, Suffolk, secretary to Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford, Solicitor to HENRY VIII, married Elizabeth, daughter of R Kemys, of Raglan, Wales, and had issue,
Jasper, of Saxham; HENRY, of whom presently; John; Lettice; Anne.
The second son,
HENRY LUCAS, wedded firstly, Mary, daughter of Edward Grene, of Bury St Edmunds, and had by her nine sons and two daughters.
He espoused secondly, Alice, daughter of Simon Bradock, of Horam, Suffolk, and had further issue, FRANCIS, Henry, Thomas, and Martha.
FRANCIS LUCAS, of Hollinger, near Bury St Edmunds, married Anne, daughter of _____ Munings, of Monk’s Ely, Suffolk, and was father of
FRANCIS LUCAS, of Elmsett and Grunsborrow, Suffolk, who wedded Matilda, daughter of Thomas Munings, of Monk’s Ely, and had two sons,
Thomas, of Colchester; FRANCIS, of whom hereafter.
The younger son,
FRANCIS LUCAS, Cornet in the army, the first of Castle Shane, whose will was proved in 1657, wedded Mary Poyntz, and had issue,
FRANCIS; William; Richard; Charles; Lucy.
Mr Lucas was succeeded by his eldest son,
FRANCIS LUCAS (1646-1705), of Castle Shane, High Sheriff of County Monaghan, 1673, who had issue, by Mary his wife, three sons and three daughters, namely,
FRANCIS, his heir; EDWARD, successor to his brother; Robert; Anne; Lucy; Jane.
The eldest son,
FRANCIS LUCAS (1669-1746), of Castle Shane, High Sheriff of County Monaghan, 1703, MP Monaghan Borough, 1713-46, died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,
EDWARD LUCAS, of Castle Shane, High Sheriff of County Monaghan, 1709, who married firstly, in 1696, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Smyth, of Drumcree, County Westmeath, and had issue,
THOMAS, predeceased his son EDWARD; Francis; Mary; Anne; Jane.
He wedded secondly, in 1723, Abigail, widow of the Rev William Brooke, and daughter of Thomas Handcock, of Twyford, County Westmeath.
Mr Lucas died in 1756, and was succeeded by his grandson,
EDWARD LUCAS (1720-71), of Castle Shane, MP for Monaghan, 1761-75, High Sheriff of County Monaghan, 1752, who wedded Elizabeth, daughter of Francis Savage, of Ardkeen, and had issue,
Francis, dsp; Edward; Thomas; CHARLES, of whom presently; William; Robert, Lt-Col in the army; Edward (Rev); Mary; Alice; Abigail; Elizabeth; Hester.
The eldest surviving son,
CHARLES LUCAS (1757-96), of Castle Shane, High Sheriff of County Monaghan, 1795, Barrister, wedded firstly, in 1786, Sarah, daughter of Sir James Hamilton, Knight, of Monaghan; and secondly, Louisa, daughter of Charles Avatt, of Mount Louise.
By the former he left at his decease an only child and successor,
THE RT HON EDWARD LUCAS JP DL (1787-1871), of Castle Shane, High Sheriff of County Monaghan, 1818, MP for County Monaghan, 1834-41, Privy Counsellor, 1845, who espoused, in 1812, Anne, second daughter of William Ruxton, of Ardee House, County Louth, MP for Ardee, and had issue,
Francis, died unmarried 1846; EDWARD WILLIAM, his heir; Fitzherbert Dacre, father of EDWARD SCUDAMORE; Charles Pierrepoint; Gould Arthur; Catherine Anne; Anna Isabella; Isabella Florinda.
Mr Lucas was succeeded by his son,
EDWARD WILLIAM LUCAS JP DL (1819-74), of Castle Shane, Lieutenant, 88th Regiment, who was succeeded by his nephew,
EDWARD SCUDAMORE LUCAS-SCUDAMORE JP DL (1853-1917), of Castle Shane, and Kentchurch Court, Hereford, High Sheriff of County Monaghan, 1879, Honorary Colonel, 4th Battalion, the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, who assumed by royal licence, in 1900, the additional surname and arms of SCUDAMORE.
Mr Lucas-Scudamore espoused, in 1900, Sybil Frances, youngest daughter of Colonel George Webber CB, and had issue,
JOHN HARFORD STANHOPE; Geraldine Clara, b 1903.
The only son and heir,
JOHN HARFORD STANHOPE LUCAS-SCUDAMORE (1902-75), of Kentchurch Court, married, in 1947, the Lady Evelyn Scudamore-Stanhope, daughter of Edward, 12th Earl of Chesterfield, and had issue,
JOHN EDWARD STANHOPE LUCAS-SCUDAMORE, of Kentchurch Court.
Charles David Lucas (1834-1914), whose family once lived at Druminargle House, Scarva, County Armagh, was the most valorous member of the Lucas family.
Druminargle is now a guest-house.
CASTLE SHANE HOUSE, near the village of Castleshane, County Monaghan, replaced an earlier dwelling.
The original house on the site was constructed in 1591.
The Elizabethan or Jacobean style house was built in 1836 for the Lucas family.
Castle Shane comprised a four-storey tower with corner bartizans and a main three-storey block.
The house had three centre bays with three-sided bays to each side with mullioned windows, curvilinear gables and tall Tudor chimneys.
The house was burnt in 1920 and all that remains is part of a three-storey bay window and gable end, the rest having been demolished.
There is also a much extended gate lodge and an unusual bell-cote in the walled garden.
The former demesne is now mostly gone and belongs largely to the Irish forestry commission.
Carrowmore House, Carrowmorelacken, Co Mayo – lost
Carramore, or Carrowmore House, Ballinrobe, County Mayo, photograph by Robert French, [between ca. 1865-1914], Lawrence Photograph Collection, National Library of Ireland.
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. 59. “(Palmer/LG1875; McCormick, sub Knox/IFR) A two storey three bay house of ca 1830 with a fanlighted doorway, incorporating a C18 house. Now the home of Mr and Mrs Niall McCormick.”
Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.
Carrowmore House, CARROWMORE [CARR. BY.], County Mayo
Carrowmore House, County Mayo, courtesy National Inventory.
Detached three-bay two-storey over basement country house, built 1819, on a square plan with four-bay two-storey side elevations. Occupied, 1901. Vacant, 1911. Damaged, 1920. Damaged, 1939. Occupied, 1942. For sale, 1946. In ruins, 1978. Roof now missing with no rainwater goods surviving on overgrown drag edged tooled cut-limestone dentilated cornice. Overgrown fine roughcast coursed rubble limestone walls with concealed hammered limestone flush quoins to corners. Round-headed central door opening with overgrown cut-limestone platform threshold, and concealed red brick block-and-start surround with no fittings surviving. Round-headed flanking window openings in round-headed recesses with sills now missing, and concealed red brick block-and-start surrounds with no fittings surviving. Square-headed window openings (remainder) with some retaining cut-limestone sills, and concealed red brick block-and-start surrounds with no fitting surviving. Interior in ruins including (ground floor): central hall retaining timber panelled reveals to some door openings. Set in unkempt grounds.
Appraisal
A country house erected by Colonel George Jackson (d. 1836) representing an important component of the early nineteenth-century domestic built heritage of the rural environs of Ballina with the architectural value of the composition, one allegedly repurposing ‘an old house [showing] many traces of great age [including] “spit jacks” and wall ovens’ (ITA 1942), confirmed by such attributes as the deliberate alignment maximising on scenic vistas overlooking gently rolling grounds; the compact, near-square plan form centred on the outline of a ‘fanlighted doorway with sidelights’ (Bence-Jones 1978, 57); the diminishing in scale of the openings on each floor producing a graduated visual impression with the principal “apartments” or reception rooms defined by “arcaded” openings recalling the contemporary Glenmore (1790), Attishane (see 31302907); and the monolithic stone work embellishing the roofline. Although reduced to ruins following a prolonged period of unoccupancy in the later twentieth century, the elementary form and massing survive intact together with remnants of the original fabric, both to the exterior and to the interior where neo-Classical plasterwork refinements highlight the now-modest artistic potential of the composition. Furthermore, adjacent outbuildings (see 31303903); and a walled garden (see 31303904), all continue to contribute positively to the group and setting values of an estate having historic connections with the Jackson family including George Vaughan Jackson JP DL (1806-49); Sir James Jackson (1790-1871), ‘Knight [of the] Grand Cross of the Bath [and] Knight of the Guelphic Order of Hanover [and] a General in her Majesty’s Army late of Carramore [sic] House Ballina County Mayo and of the United Service Club Pall Mall County Middlesex’ (Calendar of Wills and Administrations 1872, 308); Oliver Vaughan Jackson JP DL (1811-87), one-time High Sheriff of County Mayo (fl. 1869); George James Vaughan Jackson (1860-98) of “The Font”, Ballina (see 31204025); and Percy Vaughan Jackson (1862-1943).
Carrowmore House, County Mayo, courtesy National Inventory.Carrowmore House, County Mayo, courtesy National Inventory.Carrowmore House, County Mayo, courtesy National Inventory.Carrowmore House, County Mayo, courtesy National Inventory.Carrowmore House, County Mayo, courtesy National Inventory.
Carrowmore House, County Mayo, courtesy National Inventory.
Farmyard complex, extant 1838, about a courtyard including (south): Detached five-bay single-storey coach house-cum-stable outbuilding with half-attic on an E-shaped plan with single-bay full-height projecting end bays centred on single-bay full-height pedimented breakfront. Now disused. Hipped slate roof on an E-shaped plan on collared timber construction centred on pitched (gabled) slate roof (breakfront) with roll moulded clay ridge tiles, and no rainwater goods surviving on rendered red brick chevron- or saw tooth-detailed cornice centred on rendered red brick chevron- or saw tooth-detailed pediment (breakfront). Part creeper- or ivy-covered limewashed lime rendered coursed or snecked limestone walls. Segmental-headed central carriageway with concealed red brick voussoirs centred on rusticated cut-limestone keystone. Camber-headed flanking window openings with cut-limestone sills, and concealed red brick block-and-start surrounds framing remains of timber casement windows. Interior including (ground floor): timber boarded stalls with cast-iron colonette newel posts. Set in unkempt grounds shared with Carrowmore House with opposing gateways to courtyard.
Appraisal
A farmyard complex contributing positively to the group and setting values of the Carrowmore House estate.
Carrowmore House, County Mayo, courtesy National Inventory.Carrowmore House, County Mayo, courtesy National Inventory.
Carrowmore House, CARROWMORE [TIRA. BY. LACK. PH.], County Mayo
Carrowmore House, County Mayo, courtesy National Inventory.
Detached three-bay two-storey farmhouse, extant 1838, on an L-shaped plan with three-bay (south-west) or two-bay (north-east) two-storey side elevations. Occupied, 1911. Hipped slate roof on an L-shaped plan with clay ridge tiles, rendered central chimney stack on axis with ridge having corbelled stepped stringcourse below capping supporting terracotta or yellow terracotta pots, and cast-iron rainwater goods on cut-limestone eaves having consoles retaining cast-iron octagonal or ogee hoppers and downpipes. Part creeper-covered lime rendered or fine roughcast walls over coursed rubble limestone construction. Segmental-headed central door opening approached by flight of four lichen-covered cut-limestone steps with dragged cut-limestone surround having chamfered or splayed reveals framing timber panelled door having fanlight. Square-headed window openings including square-headed window openings to rear (north-west) elevation centred on segmental-headed window opening (first floor) with drag edged dragged cut-limestone sills, and concealed dressings framing six-over-six timber sash windows including six-over-six timber sash windows to rear (north-west) elevation centred on sixteen-over-sixteen timber sash window having fanlight. Interior including (ground floor): central entrance hall retaining carved timber surrounds to door openings framing timber panelled doors; and carved timber surrounds to door openings to remainder framing timber panelled doors with carved timber surrounds to window openings framing timber panelled shutters. Set in landscaped grounds with fluted cast-iron colonette piers to forecourt supporting wrought iron “farm gate”.
Appraisal
A farmhouse erected for Roger Palmer (d. 1884) regarded as an important component of the early nineteenth-century domestic built heritage of north County Mayo with the architectural value of the composition, one succeeding an adjacent house annotated as “Keromore [of] Palmer Esquire” by Taylor and Skinner (1778 pl. 219), confirmed by such traits as the deliberate alignment maximising on scenic vistas overlooking landscaped grounds; the compact plan form centred on a handsome doorcase not only demonstrating good quality workmanship, but also showing a Georgian Gothic lace-like fanlight; the slight diminishing in scale of the openings on each floor producing a feint graduated visual impression; and the monolithic stone work embellishing the roofline. 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 some crown or cylinder glazing panels in hornless sash frames: meanwhile, contemporary joinery; chimneypieces; and plasterwork refinements, all highlight the artistic potential of the composition. Furthermore, adjoining outbuildings (extant 1896); and a wooded walled garden (extant 1838), all continue to contribute positively to the group and setting values of a self-contained ensemble having subsequent connections with the McCormick family including Samuel Crozier McCormick (1832-1911), ‘Farmer’ (NA 1911); and Nial McCormick (1888-1980).
Carrowmore House, County Mayo, courtesy National Inventory.Carrowmore House, County Mayo, courtesy National Inventory.Carrowmore House, County Mayo, courtesy National Inventory.Carrowmore House, County Mayo, courtesy National Inventory.
The Font in Ballina, Co. Mayo is a well known landmark and is often mentioned when giving directions due to its distinctive appearance and location at the junction of Teeling Street and Bury Street. Now well in to its second century, having been erected in 1901, few may know of the tragic reasons for its construction or its associations with a local country house. The memorial is still emblazoned with the name George James Vaughan Jackson who once resided at Carramore House, a large Georgian mansion about two miles from the town. Today, Carramore is a forgotten ruin and few will know of the connection between this house and the memorial fountain in Ballina. It is interesting to note that the committee, in charge of commissioning the monument, discussed numerous designs and locations ranging from Crossmolina to Ardnaree. There was even the possibility of surrounding it with metal railings and accommodating drinking troughs for dogs.
George James Vaughan Jackson was born in 1860 and was the son of Captain Oliver Vaughan Jackson of Carramore House, Ballina. He appears to have been a man who had interests in all things equine, as he was a member of the North Mayo Hunt but also appears to have owned a number of horses, one in particular Bedouin who had won the Cairo Jubilee race in Egypt. It was said that George had come in to the ownership of the Carramore Estate upon the death of his father in 1890. On the night of the 8th April 1898, George James Vaughan Jackson was returning home from Ballina where he had been doing business during the fair day. As turned his horse and trap off the main road at Rehins he encountered ‘a light from a travelling caravan’ which was drawn up near the side of the road close to the railway bridge. As he drew closer it appeared to be an ‘ encampment of peddlers’ who had a cart piled high with baskets beside which they had lit a fire. As his horse was a young animal, George alighted from the trap and intended to remove the horse from the shafts to lead it past the obstruction in the road. However the horse bolted and broke its reins resulting in the shafts of the trap breaking free and striking George on the side of his body, knocking him to the ground. Once he regained his feet and being unable to find his horse, he walked the two miles to his home, Carramore House. There he was met by his sister, whom he assured that nothing serious had happened to him but the following morning he was feeling extremely unwell. The local doctor was sent for and it was found that George had serious internal injuries from which he would die the next day. It is said that he passed away after ‘ bidding a most affectionate farewell to his mother and sisters’. His large funeral cortege extended to over 140 horse drawn vehicles which left Carramore House and made their way to the family burial plot in the Crossmolina Church yard. The probate of the will of George James Vaughan Jackson was granted to Dr. Percy V. Jackson also of Carramore House who was a surgeon and a brother of the deceased. His estate was valued at £2,177 7s 9d ( which is nearly €300,000 in today’s money).
One month after the passing of George it was proposed that a memorial would be erected in his honour. In May of 1898, a meeting was held in the Moy Hotel in Ballina town where gathered ‘ the friends and admirers of the deceased’. It was the members of the North Mayo Hunt who first intended to erect a memorial however with the volume of support from the people of Ballina for the project, the subscription for the memorial was opened to the public. Firstly it was proposed that a monument would be erected over his grave, however it was then considered that as ‘ he was buried in a remote place….that very few of his friends could have an opportunity to see it‘. Then it was suggested that the memorial should be placed in St. Michael’s Church in Ardnaree, Ballina, however there were a number of objections to that proposal. Eventually it was decided that a water fountain would be erected in the town and that the fountain should be of benefit to both people as well as horses. It was proposed that the fountain should have a statue or the likeness of George placed upon it, however it was agreed that until funds were accumulated, the design of the fountain could not be decided upon. As an illustration for the enthusiasm for the project, by the end of this initial meeting, £67 12s had already been collected. By September of that year £118 10s 6d had been gathered, however the committee were £20 short of what they required and £50 short for the iron railing that was to be placed around the fountain. By March 1899, the committee met again and discussed a design for the memorial fountain, proposed by Harrison & Co., Great Brunswick St.,Dublin which was to be made of limestone. The committee had earlier contemplated a design made of metal but due to budget implications but it was rejected. Also at this meeting it was proposed that as well as having a trough for horses that a trough should also be integrated for use by dogs. I had thought that this was something what wasn’t included in the final design, but if you look at the fountain today you will see the lower troughs for the use of dogs are found nearer the ground under the main troughs.
By June of 1901 a decision had been made on the final design of the fountain and Mr. E.E. Atkinson wrote on behalf of the Jackson Memorial Committee requesting the permission of the Urban Council to erect the memorial, which was given. In August 1901, the fountain was completed by the contractors opposite ‘Baxter’s Corner’ in the town of Ballina. It was made of Aberdeen granite, cost £184.00 and stood on a hexagonal concrete foundation. It was made by Scott & Rae, Bothwell St.,Glasgow and was erected in Ballina under the supervision of their very capable representative, Mr. Robert Taylor. The company of Scott and Rae were established in Glasgow in 1881, it appears they had completed a number of public drinking fountains in their native Scotland and usually worked in pink granite. The fountain is composed of three large drinking troughs for either ‘ cattle or horses‘, and rising from the centre is a red and grey granite column diagonally carved and topped by a grey granite ball. Above one of the troughs is a bronze shield having an engraving of a horse. Above another trough was a tablet with the inscription:
‘To the memory of
George James Vaughan Jackson
Carramore, Ballina,
Who died on the 10th day of April 1898′
On either side of this main plaque were smaller tablets with the inscriptions ‘ Erected by public subscription’ and ’He passed from among us in the prime of life, respected and beloved by all‘. However the fountain wasn’t fully completed at this time as the Memorial Committee did not have the funds to undertake a number of works themselves. The entire cost for the project came to £184 ( which is would be about €25,000 in today’s money) but the fund had only raised £179 however the contractors in an act of generosity remitted the difference. Now that the fountain was it in place, it was still necessary that guard stones should be erected around the monument to protect it from damage from cart wheels for which the committee had not the funds. Therefore the committee asked the Urban Council if they would be in a position to complete these works and in early photographs of the memorial we can see that these were indeed put in place.
This grainy newspaper photo from 1957 is one of thefew images I can find of Carramore before the removal of its roof.
The family home of the Vaughan Jackson family was Carramore situated about two miles from Ballina town. It was a two storey over basement Georgian house built around 1819. The house is surrounded by a large walled garden and an impressive coach house which is still in relatively good condition today. After the death of George for whom the memorial was erected, Carramore House passed to his brother Percy and in later years in October 1920, £75 was claimed by him for malicious damage to Carramore House. Whether this was the reason or not, Percy left Carramore to live in England in 1926 having previously resided at Carramore for 27 years. Percy Vaughan Jackson died in Herts, England in 1943. The house then came in to the ownership of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Reid and in 1935 it was reported that their son Ivan, of the Indian Medical Service, was to be married in Rawalpindi, India. By this time, Miss Beryl Reid, a daughter of the owners of Carramore, was visited by a a reporter who was covering her various enterprises at the house. They were amazed at her achievements in the garden and the intricate planted beds in the area to the front of the house that she had created. Miss Reid appears to have been an enterprising woman for her time, she had constructed three large glass houses, one alone measured 125 x 30 foot and was in addition to the two older smaller glasshouses that already existed on the site. In July 1935, she had over 2,000 tomato plants growing and 10,000 chrysanthemums plants waiting to go to market. In the 1930’s Carramore was also advertised as a guest house, so its appears Miss Reid was doing everything possible to make an income from the property. In 1936, Thomas Reid died, leaving his wife and their two unmarried daughters responsible for Carramore. In 1939 the house suffered a fire and one bedroom was burnt out, it was reported that two sisters Phyllis and Beryl Reid and their invalid mother, Florence, were present in the house at the time. The fire was started by a wireless set which the sisters fought for three hours on their own with buckets of water. In April 1944, Beryl’s and Phyllis’s mother died and she was buried in St. Michael’s Church in Ballina.
This map illustrates the extensive house that Carramore oncewas with extensive outbuildings and a walled gardenPicture ( above) Copyright : OSI
As a result of this, in August 1946, Carramore House was advertised in the national press for auction under the instruction of the representatives of the late Mrs. Florence Eleanor Reid, in the advertisement the house is described as ‘a Magnificent Gentleman’s Residence’. The accommodation of the house extended to four reception rooms, lounge, front hall, kitchen and twelve apartments ( which must mean bedrooms). The grounds included a walled garden, coach house and tomato houses with room for 3,000 plants. A person who visited the house in the 1940’s recorded that the family had only retained forty acres around the house and that the library of Carramore contained over 3,000 books. In November 1957, it was reported that Carramore was to be demolished as it had recently been purchased with its land by two local farmers.
Today (shown above) the walls of Carramore still stand, shrouded in ivy but this house like the history of its occupants is forgotten. The font that now stands in Ballina is one of the few tangible connections we have with Carramore House and the Vaughan Jackson family. As the town of Ballinahas changed around the font, it became necessary in 1968 to move it 12 feet further back from the edge of the road and it was moved again in 1983 to its current location.
While the Vaughan Jackson memorial is one of the few attractive pieces of sculpture that we have in Ballina, the area around this memorial has never been designed or landscaped in such away to show off its true beauty. It might be something to be considered by Mayo County Council, as next year will mark 120 years since the death of the man the fountain commemorates.
Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.
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. 81. (McDowell (formerly Platt)/LG1969). A house of ca 1830. Two storeys over basement, three bay front, with single-storey portico of coupled fluted Doric columns. Eaved roof on bracket cornice. Hall with modillion cornice and bifurcating staircase rising at its inner end. Drawing room and dining room ceilings with good C19 plasterwork cornices and ovals of foliage in centre. Used for many years as glebe house. Now the home of Mr Henry McDowell, the genealogist and writer, and Mrs McDowell.”
482 in 2017
Celbridge Lodge
Celbridge, Co. Kildare Henry McDowell Tel: 01-6288347 Open: May 1-31, Aug 1-31, 9am-1pm Fee: Adult/OAP €6, Student free
Celbridge Lodge, Church Road, CELBRIDGE, Celbridge, County Kildare
Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy National Inventory.
Detached three-bay two-storey over part-raised basement house, c.1880, retaining original aspect with portico to front having paired columns approached by flight of steps, two-bay two-storey side elevations to north-east and to south-west and single-bay two-storey flat-roofed lower return off-centre to rear elevation to north-west. Hipped roof with slate. Clay ridge tiles. Rendered chimney stacks. Overhanging timber eaves. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Flat-roofed to return. Materials not visible. Roughcast walls. Painted. Cut-stone stringcourse to ground floor. Rendered walls behind portico with rendered corresponding pilasters. Painted. Square-headed window openings (round-headed to centre to rear elevation). Stone sills. 6/6 timber sash windows (fixed-pane timber window to centre rear elevation). Portico to centre with paired fluted columns having moulded cornice over with blocking course. Elliptical-headed door opening. Timber pilaster doorcase with decorative consoles and moulded entablature. Timber panelled door. Sidelights. Decorative fanlight. Set back from road in own grounds. Gravel forecourt to front. Lawns to site.
Appraisal
Celbridge Lodge is a fine and well-maintained middle-size gentlemen’s residence in the Classical style that has been well maintained and which retains most of its original character. The house is of some social interest, representing the dwellings of the prosperous merchant class in late nineteenth-century Celbridge. Composed on a symmetrical plan of graceful proportions centred about an attractive portico the house is simply detailed and relies on the balanced arrangement of openings for visual effect – the portico with decorative doorcase to rear is a rare instance of transparent opulence in the design. The house retains most of its original features and materials to the exterior, including multi-pane timber sash fenestration and an attractive timber doorcase with decorative fanlight, together with a slate roof having cast-iron rainwater goods. The retention of an original external aspect suggests that the interior may also retain early or original features and fittings of significance. Attractively set in its own grounds, the house is complemented by a range of attendant ancillary structures, including a gate lodge (11805026/KD11-05-26) and gateway (11805027/KD-11-05-27), both to south-east.
Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy National Inventory.
in In an Irish House. edited by Sybil Connolly. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1988. Entry by Mr. Henry McDowell
This house, located on the Massy estate, was the residence of Colonel John Vandeleur in the early 1850s when it was valued at £17+. A house is still extant at the site.
Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.
Celbridge Lodge is an impressive residence with flexible uses as either a family home or a development site. An exciting opportunity to purchase a classical Georgian residence in the town of Celbridge on c. 2.73ha(6.75acres). A wonderful family home or development site, with the benefit of Zoned Existing Residential/infill on c.2.57ha(6.36acres) and Zoned Town Centre on c.0.15ha(0.38acres). For sale by formal tender. All tenders must be submitted no later than Friday 25th September 2020 at 12noon to Gartlan Furey Solicitors, 20 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2. Main house approximately 428sq.m(4,606sq.ft) Gate lodge approximately 61sq.m(656sq.ft) – An elegant Georgian residence – A mature walled site of some 2.73ha(6.75acres) – Zoned Existing Residential/infill on c.2.57ha(6.36acres) – Zoned Town Centre on c.0.15ha(0.38acres) – Gate lodge – Mature trees, parkland, lawns, yard with storage buildings and a walled garden – A private site, set well back from the road – Original features including coving, cornicing, fireplaces, high ceilings, portico, sash windows and shutters. – Two existing entrances, the primary entrance is at the main gate by the gate lodge and the secondary entrance onto Tea Lane is by the stable yard. – Two further possible entrance points subject to planning (please refer to the aerial photos for reference). – Ideally located in Celbridge town centre for development purposes – 21km to Dublin city centre – 2.4km to Hazelhatch Railway Station – Within a 7-minute walk to Castletown House and parkland walks Celbridge House (The main residence)
Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.
Celbridge Lodge is an impressive residence with flexible uses as either a family home or a development site. The residence is set back from the road in its own grounds, approached by a sweeping gravel driveway and forecourt. Built in c.1880 as a miller’s house to the nearby woollen mills in the town. The mill was reported as the biggest wool manufactory in Ireland in the 1800’s. A gracious detached three-bay, two-storey over part-raised basement house, with portico to front and paired columns approached by flight of steps to the main door with decorative fanlight overhead. Celbridge House has been well maintained and retains much of its original character. According to the “National Inventory of Architectural Heritage” – Celbridge Lodge is of some social interest, representing the dwellings of the prosperous merchant class in late nineteen-century Celbridge. Accommodation Celbridge Lodge is composed on a symmetrical plan of graceful proportions, centred about an attractive portico. The main house is elegant and would benefit from upgrading at this stage of its history. The main residence is approximately 428sq.m(4,606sq.ft) over three floors. Designed in the classical Georgian style, with entrance hall to drawing room and sitting room to the left and dining room and kitchen/breakfast room to the left. The principal reception rooms benefit from dual aspect with views over the garden, original coving, cornicing and fireplaces. The first floor has four good sized bedrooms, one ensuite and one bathroom. The garden level is ripe for restoration and comprises of four rooms, two storage rooms and a wc. Zoning Planning – Celbridge Lodge is located on Tea Lane, south-west of Celbridge town centre, less than 160metres from Main Street. – Sitting on a rectangular site of some 2.73ha(6.75acres) surrounded by mature trees – Celbridge Lodge falls within an area administered by Kildare County Council and
Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.
development is regulated under the Celbridge Local Area Plan 2017-2023. – The majority of the site is zoned as Existing Residential/infill 2.57ha(6.36acres) with the exception of the walled garden to the south east of the site which is zoned Town centre c.0.15ha(0.38acres) – The land-use zoning objectives for Existing residential/Infill is to protect and enhance the amenity of established residential communities and promote sustainable intensification. – The walled garden is zoned Town Centre and the land-use zoning objectives for Town Centre is to protect, improve and provide for the future development of town centre. Existing Residential/Infill zoning c.2.57ha(6.36acres) The land use zoning objectives for the majority of the site is to protect and enhance the amenity of established residential communities and promote sustainable intensification. The zoning provides primarily for dwellings, nursing homes/housing for the elderly and park/playground. There are a number of other uses such as offices, guest house, hotel, health centre, medical consultancy, place of worship, playing fields, restaurant, school and shop that are open to consideration in the Celbridge Local Area Plan. Town centre zoning (Walled Garden of site c.0.15ha(0.38acres) The land-use zoning objectives for Town Centre is to protect, improve and provide for the future development of town centre. This zoning provides for: – Car park – Community/Recreational/Sports buildings – Creche/playschool – Cultural Uses/Library – Dwelling – Funeral homes – Guest house/hotel/hostel – Medical consultancy/health centre – Nursing homes/housing for the elderly – Offices – Parks/playground
Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.
Place of worship – Pub – Restaurant – School – Shop (Comparison) and Shop (Convenient) There are also a number of other land uses that are open to consideration in the Celbridge Local Area Plan such as playing fields and dancehall. Protected structures – Below is a list of the protected structures on the site acquired from “Record of Protected Structures” 1. House 2. Gate Lodge 3. Walls/Gates/Railings Gate Lodge The gate lodge is approximately 61sq.m(656sq.ft) with four rooms and a bathroom. This charming gate lodge would benefit from updating. Gardens, lawns, walled garden and yard The main residence sits within the middle of this splendid site, surrounded by lawns, gardens, mature trees, a pond and walled garden. A secluded mature setting, within minutes’ walk of the main street. The yard comprises of two old stable boxes, with access onto Tea Lane. Location Celbridge is well serviced by a regular bus service to Dublin and a train service from nearby Hazelhatch train station. Celbridge Lodge is within a 7-minute walk of Castletown House which is Ireland’s largest and earliest Palladian style house, sitting on some 120 acres of parkland walks. The house and park are open to the public to walk through.
Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.
Celbridge town is a thriving town with supermarkets, restaurants, pubs, schools, and churches. Dublin city is 21km Dublin airport 28km M4 4km Hazelhatch train station 2.4km Tender process All formal tenders must be submitted by 12noon Friday 25th September 2020 to Gartlan Furey solicitors, 20 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2. Tender forms available from Gartlan Furey solicitors A deposit of 5% of tender amount must be paid with your tender. If your tender is accepted, a further 5% will be due immediately. For further details please contact Dermot Furey or Julianna Mullin from Gartlan Furey Solicitors +353 (0)1 7998000 Services Septic tank Mains water (access to well) Oil fired central heating Viewings Contact Eamon O’Flaherty on 086 2610468, email: eamon@sfbradyoflaherty.ie Contact Roseanne De Vere Hunt on 087 412 2356, email: roseanne.hunt@sherryfitz.ie
Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.
Features
An elegant Georgian residence A mature walled site of some 2.73ha(6.75acres) Zoned Existing Residential/infill on c.2.57ha(6.36acres) Zoned Town Centre on c.0.15ha(0.38acres) Gate lodge Mature trees, parkland, lawns, yard with storage buildings and a walled garden A private site, set well back from the road Original features including coving, cornicing, fireplaces, high ceilings, portico, sash windows and shutters. Two existing entrances, the primary entrance is at the main gate by the gate lodge and the secondary entrance onto Tea Lane is by the stable yard. Two further possible entrance points subject to planning (please refer to the aerial photos for reference). Ideally located in Celbridge town centre for development purposes 21km to Dublin city centre 2.4km to Hazelhatch Railway Station Within a 7-minute walk to Castletown House and parkland walks
Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.Celbridge Lodge, County Kildare, courtesy Sherry Fitzgerald.
Salruck house, County Galway, photograph by Robert French, (between ca. 1865-1914), Lawrence Photograph Collection, National Library of Ireland.
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. 255. “a two storey gabled house of mid-C19 appearance. Fancy bargeboards and pointed window finials; windows with wooden mulions and astragals. The seat of the Thomson family.”
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. 165. “(Redington/LGI1890; Wilson-Lynch/LGI1958) A large C19 Tudor-Gothic pile begun by Sir Thomas Redington 1837; with gables and oriels, a pinnacle porch-tower and a much-pinnacled chapel. Long gallery with fretted ceiling. Passed by inheritance to the Wilson-Lynch family. Now an institution.”
Bence-Jones, Mark. 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. “(Talbot, sub Talbot de Malahide, B/PB) A 2 storey house of early to mid 19C aspect… Now demolished.”
Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.
p. 59. “A two storey bow-fronted house built c. 1830. Single storey granite portico. Seat of the Hon. Mrs. Mellifont in 1837. Demolished.
Bence-Jones, Mark. 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. 272. “(Travers. IFR) A square late-Georgian house, built ca 1830 by Col. Robert Travers. Burnt 1920, a new house built on different site 1924 by S.E. Travers to the design of W. Henry Hill of Cork. The new house is of stone, with a high eaved roof and a 5 bay symmetrical front, with modern casement windows; the ground floor windows having pleasantly cambered heads. Ruins of old Barry castle on grounds. Gardens with notable collecting of shrubs and trees from all over the world.”
Bence-Jones, Mark. 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. 87. “[Gillman/IFR] A square two storey house of ca. 1830. Three bay front, 4 bay side, eaved roof.”
Detached double-pile three-bay two-storey house, built c.1840, having porch to front (east) and two-storey extension to side (south). U-plan hipped slate roof with rendered chimneystacks and replacement uPVC rainwater goods. Rendered walls with lined-and-ruled rendered walls to porch. Diminishing square-headed window openings with limestone sills, having six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows to first floor and nine-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows to ground floor. Set of four fixed two-pane timber framed windows to porch. Square-headed door opening to side (south) elevation of porch having replacement glazed timber door. Numerous derelict and restored two-storey outbuildings to rear arranged around courtyard. Pitched slate and corrugated-iron roofs to western group having rubble stone walls, square-headed window openings and elliptical arch-headed carriageways. Pitched slate roof to former barn having rubble stone walls, square-headed window openings with timber frames. Segmental-headed carriageway openings to ground floor with roughly dressed limestone voussoirs. Flight of stone steps to western elevation of former barn. Remains of red brick walled garden to south-east. Square-profile rendered gate piers to north-east. Set within own grounds.
Appraisal
The classical form and fenestration of this middle-sized house is typical of its time. The fine timber sliding sash windows add much to its character, while the extensive ranges of outbuildings add context to its setting.
At the time of Griffith’s Valuation, Herbert Gillman was leasing a property valued at £14 from Edward Murphy. This house was built after the publication of the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map. The Irish Tourist Association survey refers to “Clontead” as the former residence of the historian, Herbert Webb Gillman,(1832-1898). It is still extant and seems to have become known as Clontead More House.
country house in the townland of Clontead More, situated north-east of Coachford village, built around 1840. Once the residence of the Herbert Gillman The property was constructed after 1840. It is not depicted on the 1842 surveyed OS map, which was also used during the mid-nineteenth century Primary Valuation of Ireland (Griffith’s Valuation). The Connacht and Munster Landed Estates Database states that it was ‘built after the publication of the first edition Ordnance Survey map’., and the 1901 surveyed OS map depicts the property, but does not name it. The Primary Valuation of Ireland (Griffith’s Valuation) records Herbert Gillman as occupying c. 86 acres, consisting of a ‘house, offices and land’. The buildings were valued at c. £14, the land at c. £50, and the immediate lessor was Edward Murphy. Gillman is interred in the chancel of Magourney Church, Coachford. The Irish Tourist Association survey of 1944 refers to the property as ‘Clontead House, Peake’ and the former residence of Herbert Webb Gillman. He is described as having been a Barrister-at-law, member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Council member of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society (CHAS) and ‘specialised in castles around the countryside’. Gillman was one of the early members of CHAS and is interred in the apse of Magourney Church. Today, Clontead More House remains a private residence, and is not accessible to the public.
Irish Historic Houses 