County Limerick

Ballysteen House, Ballysteen, Askeaton, Co. Limerick

by jenjunebug

Ballysteen House, Ballysteen, Askeaton, Co. Limerick for sale in June 2025 courtesy Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty

€1,300,000 V94 T62T 6 beds2 baths673 m2

An extremely pleasant and attractive late Georgian historic country house, built circa 1780 on the site of the earlier Ballysteen Castle within an extremely quiet and private estate extending to nearly 100-acres. Accommodation extends to some 7244 square feet or 673 square metres and includes 6 principal bedrooms. Home to the Westropp family since 1703 the estate is an extremely rare and unique example of quintessential gentry charm, with the features of the core-estate and late Georgian house largely intact and of considerable merit. A long circa .4 mile (.7 km) gravelled drive leads through well-timbered parkland to open onto a parking forecourt in front of Ballysteen House, or branching off into the stable and garaging courtyard. Architecturally the house is magnificent and retains the majority of the original features. Nearby Ballysteen village is a 2-minute drive, Askeaton town just an 8-minute drive and Limerick city a 30-minute drive. The large solid timber front door, set between carved timber pilasters below an overhead arched fanlight window, opens into a large reception hall with decorative ceiling cornices and a central rose and a marble chimneypiece. It links to the stair hall, dining room, drawing room and family room. The dining room has matching alcoves to each end, a marble chimneypiece with a wood stove insert and two large west facing windows. For dining it can seat 12 comfortably. The drawing room again has two large west facing windows and has a marble chimneypiece. The family room, originally likely a library, also faces west with two large windows and a marble chimneypiece. The principal receptions rooms are each grand with generous proportions, high ceilings (circa 14 feet) fine chimneypieces and ornate ceiling plasterwork combined create to allow for opulent entertaining but are contained enough to be extremely comfortable for private or family use. The family room has a lower ceiling height, circa 10.5 feet, giving it a snug feel and especially in winter with a lighting open fire. The stair hall connects to the dining room, reception hall and an inner hall, itself linking to the kitchen, pantries and sculleries and a link hall to an annexe apartment. Internally, the house benefits from little change since being first completed (circa 1809) so that the majority of the original features remain intact. Including, original timber sash windows (front façade), window shutters, ceiling cornices and decorative plasterwork, picture rails, timber flooring boards, timber doors and architraves, a fine dog-leg carved timber staircase and some original chimney pieces. Restoration is required, although structurally the main house seems in commendable condition. The original layout configuration of the principal reception rooms works well for contemporary living, aside from the kitchen that is largely original. Upstairs the larger principal rooms are paired with adjacent interconnecting small bedrooms or dressing rooms and creating bedrooms suites with integral bathrooms seems highly possible. The current configuration provides 6 bedrooms and a playroom on the first floor. The bathroom accessed on the mezzanine floor, off the staircase return. Two old staff bedrooms are accessed from the first floor or a secondary staircase in the kitchen. The adjacent and linked annexe apartment requires complete restoration. A gate lodge is now derelict but could provide further accommodation. The west façade or the back of the house has a pleasant enclosed formal garden space and includes a marvellous dovecote tower folly. An internal farm lane is sucken to ensure an unobstructed view. Similarly, at the front of the house, the telegraph lines have been placed underground. The adjacent courtyard has a coach house, stable block and a large barn and leads to an outer enclosed yard and orchard garden. Again much original integrity survives but restoration is required. For equestrians the layout is ideal with linked grazing. For boating enthusiasts Ballysteen Quay, accessing the Shannon Estuary is just a 5-minute drive. Limerick city is a 30 minute drive, Cork city a 1 hr 30 minute drive and Dublin city is a 2 hr 30 minute drive. Shannon International Airport 42 minutes driving (short flight path by helicopter), Cork International Airport 1 hr 45 minutes driving, Dublin International Airport 2 hr 20 minutes driving. For further information contact Selling Agents Eileen Neville and David Ashmore.

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/21901101/ballysteen-house-ballysteen-co-limerick

Detached five-bay two-storey county house, built c. 1780, with additions to north and south. Square-headed window openings with six-over-six timber sash windows and stone sills. Blind six-over-six timber sash window to ground floor. Round-headed door opening with timber panelled door and fanlight with engaged Tuscan columns. Hipped slate roof. Two-bay two-storey addition to south with timber sash window and square-headed door opening with timber door and margin lights. Two-bay two-storey addition to north with pitched slate roof. Rear with six-over-six timber sash and two-over-two timber sash windows. Outbuildings to rear.

Appraisal

Ballysteen House is of considerable architectural importance within the history of County Limerick. A significant number of features remain intact which adds to the house’s architectural wealth. A curious feature which remains which adds to the house’s history is the blind window on the ground floor. The retetion of timber panelled door and the columns adds further to the merit of this outstanding house.

https://theirishaesthete.com/2025/10/06/ballysteen/

Something of a Rarity

by theirishaesthete



Originally from Yorkshire, in 1657 Montifort Westropp settled in Limerick city and three years later was comptroller of the port there. Subsequently he purchased various parcels of land in Co. Clare where he held the office of High Sheriff in 1674 and 1690, as well as being appointed a Commissioner for the county by an Act of Irish Parliament in 1697. Following his death the following year, several of his sons continued to prosper: one son, also called Montifort – a forebear of the antiquarian Thomas Johnson Westropp – purchased the Attyflin estate near Patrickswell, County Limerick from the Chichester House Commissioners in 1703, and the same year, another son, Thomas Westropp bought an estate in the same county at Ballysteen. Some kind of castle or tower house evidently stood here, but it was replaced by the present building in the last quarter of the 18th century, perhaps by the original Thomas’s grandson (also called Thomas) who died in 1789.





Following Thomas Westropp’s death in 1789, the Ballysteen estate was inherited by his only surviving son, General John Westropp. However, when he died in 1825 without issue, Ballysteen reverted to one of the children of his sister Sara who in 1775 had married Colonel Thomas Odell of Ballingarry, County Limerick. The couple’s third son, Edmond, duly inherited his uncle’s estate and changed his name to Westropp. His grandson Edward also had no son but two daughters, one of whom, Elizabeth, in 1942 married Maurice Talbot, son of the Dean of Cashel and himself, from 1954, Dean of Limerick. Ballysteen was in due course inherited by the present generation of the family who have, for the first time in its history, offered the property for sale. 





As seen today, Ballysteen is a two-storey, five-bay house, with east-facing rendered facade and a west-facing, four-bay garden front, as well as lower two-storey wings on either side of the main block. Internally, the house appears to have been last undergone alterations around 1820, or perhaps soon after 1825 when it was inherited by Edmond Odell Westropp. To the front, much of the space is taken up by a substantial, three-bay entrance hall, with the staircase in an adjacent area to the immediate north. Behind the entrance are the two principal reception rooms, drawing and dining, and all three have white marble chimneypieces typical of the late-18th/early 19th century. They also retain some mahogany furniture from the same period: the dining room, for example, has a pair of arched niches each of which holds an identical buffet with slender spiral twist legs, while the entrance hall has a pair of bookcases with similar decorative detail, suggesting they all came from the same workshop at the same time. A sitting room/library is accommodated in the south wing while the kitchen, pantry, scullery and so forth, together with the service staircase, can be found in its northern equivalent. Upstairs are six bedrooms, some with dressing rooms. Thanks to being left unaltered for so long, Ballysteen retains the appearance and character of an Irish country house once widespread but today something of a rarity. One must hope that whoever is fortunate to acquire the property, while updating some of the facilities, retains that wonderful character. It is too precious to lose.



The Irish Aesthete is generously supported by

‘Rosneath House’ Mill Road, Corbally, County Limerick

by jenjunebug

‘Rosneath House’ Mill Road, Corbally, Limerick for sale May 2025 courtesy Wheeler Auctioneers

€900,000 V94V9KH 6 beds3 baths246 m2

Wheeler Auctioneers and Savills are delighted to present “Roseneath House” a 6 bedroom Georgian property constructed circa 1820 set on approximately 0.9 acres. 6 bedroom Georgian house constructed c.1820 Excellent location in close proximity of Limerick City centre Set on approximately 0.9 acres Swimming pool Walled in gardens Kitchen garden / orchard. Entrance The House has an attractive tarmacadam drive through a landscaped area with a retaining wall to the southwest. Road improvements on the Mill Road have resulted in a new entrance to Roseneath House that comprises a new 2m high stone wall with original decorative wrought iron gates with ashlar piers and curved wings. The House Roseneath House comprises a detached square-plan, three bay, single-storey over basement villa style Georgian house; built around 1820. The immediate curtilage of the house measures circa 0.58 hectares, (0.9 acres) and includes a swimming pool, walled gardens, kitchen garden/orchard and outbuildings. The house has a hipped natural slate roof with lead ridges, rendered chimneystacks and six-over-six timber sash windows to the ground floor and three-over-three to the basement. The residence itself is of some historical and architectural merit and is listed in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as being a structure of ‘ Regional Importance’ . Accommodation Comprises: Ground Floor Porch Kitchen 6.3m x 3.7m Larder 4.5m x 3.7m Breakfast Room 4.9m x 4.6m Bedroom 4.6m x 3.2m Bedroom 4.6m x 3.6m Bedroom 4.2m x 2.4m Shower Room 2.8m x 2.4m Reading Room 5.1m x 3.8m First Floor Diningroom 5.7m x 4.6m Drawing Room 4.6m x 6.4m Bedroom 4.4m x 3.7m Bedroom 4.2m x 3.9m Bedroom 5.1m x 3.8m Bathroom 3.7m x 2.3m Wc Location Roseneath is located on Mill Road, an exclusive area within the Corbally district of Limerick approximately 3km north of Limerick City Centre. The property which is located in one of Limericks most desirable residential addresses is accessed via Corbally Road which links the Mill Road to the city centre. Corbally has long been a popular residential location amongst commuters given its ease of access and proximity to the city centre while also offering a high-quality living environment. The area benefits from 2 primary schools and 2 secondary schools. Grove Island Shopping Complex which occupies large retailers such as SuperValu and Lloyd’ s Pharmacy is located a mere 750 meters to the south. Employment Base Limerick offers opportunities across a diverse range of industries and the area continues to attract interest from multinational companies around the globe. World ICT leaders such as Dell, Analog Devices and Intel are based in Limerick while the arrival of Regeneron, Biopharma and Ethicon Biosurgery in 2014 boosted an already strong Life Sciences sector that features Johnson & Johnson, Zimmer, Stryker and Cook Medical. Other large employers expanding in the city include KEMP Technologies and Northern Trust. Near By O’ Connell Street 2.5km, Limerick Colbert Railway Station 3km, Shannon Airport 25km, 10km to M7 University Hospital Limerick 6km, Thomond Park 3.5km, Mary Immaculate College 4.5km University of Limerick 5.5km, Limerick Institute of Technology 4.5km

BER Details 

BER: Exempt

Hunt Museum (former Custom House), Limerick, County Limerick

by jenjunebug

Hunt Museum (former Custom House), Limerick, County Limerick

https://theirishaesthete.com/2025/04/25/hunt-museum/

Flawless

by theirishaesthete

Hunt Museum, Limerick, County Limerick, courtesy Irish Aesthete.


Limerick’s former Custom House, today the Hunt Museum, dates from the second half of the 1760s when designed by architect Davis Ducart. His origins were uncertain: in 1768, William Brownlow wrote that he had ‘dropped into this Kingdom from the clouds, no one knows how, or what brought him to it’ although it has been proposed that Ducart – his original name Daviso de Arcort – may have been Sardinian or Piedmontese. Whatever his background, Ducart enjoyed a successful career in Ireland, including the commission to design this custom house. Here is a splendid Venetian window on the northern wall of what is now called the Captain’s Room, seemingly where ships’ captains were received while their vessels were moored on the quay outside. It rises high to a coved ceiling, at the centre of which is a plaster rose. Simple, dignified, flawless.

Hunt Museum, Limerick, County Limerick, courtesy Irish Aesthete.

Stoneville, Rathkeale, Co Limerick  

by jenjunebug

Stoneville, Rathkeale, 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. 

p. 265. “(Southwell, V/PB; Massy/IFR) A two storey five bay gable-ended C18 house, originally a hunting lodge owned by Hon Henry Southwell, MP; bought by the Massys after his death 1758. Tripartite doorway. At the back of the house is a wing said to be earlier and also a fine stable range added 1802 by J.F. Massy, enclosing a courtyard.” 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/21902008/stoneville-house-stoneville-co-limerick

Stoneville, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.

Detached five-bay two-storey country house, built c. 1730, having five-bay three-storey return with lean-to and single-bay two-storey lean-to to rear (north) elevation. Originally built as a hunting lodge. Pitched slate roof having carved limestone eaves course and red brick chimneystacks to gable ends, having external flue to east elevation. Roughcast rendered walls with render quoins. Slate hung tiles to west elevation. Square-headed openings with six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows and limestone sills. Internal timber shutters to interior. Square-headed openings to return, some with nine-over-nine pane timber sliding sash windows, some having six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows and limestone sills. Round-headed opening to lean-to to return first floor with spoked fanlight over six-over-twelve pane timber sliding sash window and oculus to second floor having fixed window. Round-headed opening having carved limestone surround with scrolled keystone, spoked fanlight over timber panelled door and flanking sidelights having carved limestone surrounds with entablatures and sills. Flight of limestone steps to entrance. Square-plan game store to north courtyard having hipped slate roof. Rubble limestone walls with carved stringcourse. Square-headed window openings, now partially blocked up. Nine-bay single-storey range to north courtyard adjoining east elevation of house. Pitched slate roof. Rubble limestone walls. Square-headed window and door openings having dressed limestone voussoirs, sills, timber fittings and timber battened doors. Six-bay two-storey range to north-west adjoining return, north elevation with pitched slate roof. Roughcast rendered walls. Square-headed openings to first floor with six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows and limestone sills. Those to ground floor having one-over-one pane timber sliding sash windows. Square-headed openings with timber battened doors. Seven-bay two-storey L-plan outbuilding to north-east having pitched slate roof. Rubble limestone walls. Diocletian style window openings to first floor with dressed limestone voussoirs and sills, some now blocked up. Square-headed window openings to ground floor having limestone sills, some with fixed windows, some with timber fittings. Square-headed openings having timber battened doors. Round-headed carriage arch with dressed limestone voussoirs. Seven-bay two-storey range to east with hipped slate roof. Rubble limestone walls. Diocletian style window openings to first floor having cut limestone surrounds with keystones and sills. Integral elliptical-headed carriage arch to centre bay having ashlar limestone surround with keystone, impost courses and carved heraldic plaque and date stone of 1802. Elliptical-headed arches having cut limestone voussoirs and keystones. Cast-iron water pump and cobblestones to courtyard. Pair of square-profile ashlar limestone piers to east with carved caps and double-leaf spear-headed cast-iron gate. Flanking pedestrian entrance having pair of square-profile ashlar limestone piers with single-leaf spear-headed cast-iron gate. Six-bay single-storey outbuilding to west. No roof. Limestone eaves course. Rubble limestone walls having cut limestone quoins. Square-headed window and door openings with limestone lintels and sills. Rubble limestone walled garden to north. Pair of square-profile roughly dressed limestone piers to east wall. Pointed arch door opening to east wall. Pair of square-profile ashlar limestone piers to north with carved caps. Rubble boundary walls to site. Pair of square-profile ashlar limestone piers to west with carved caps and rubble walls having carved limestone plinth courses and copings. 

Appraisal 

Stoneville House is a rare example of an early eighteenth-century house, which retains much of its original form and characteristic features such as the steeply pitched roof and chimneystacks to gable ends with external flues. The simple façade is enlivened by the cut limestone door surround with finely carved scrolled keystone. Originally built as a hunting lodge by the Southwell family, the house passed into the ownership of the Massy family in the mid eighteenth century. The Massy family built the courtyard to rear, complete with game store and water pump, which maintains much of its original appearance, including notable features such as the ornate limestone carriage arch surround with date plaque of 1802, a feature which adds artistic and historical interest to the site. 

Stoneville, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.
Stoneville, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.
Stoneville, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.
Stoneville, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.

http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/property-list.jsp?letter=S 

Originally a hunting lodge of the Southwell family, this house was the home of the Massy family for two centuries. In 1786 Wilson refers to it as the seat of Hugh Massey. A new front was added in 1802 by Hugh Massy. The buildings were valued at £12 in the mid 19th century and the property was located on the Southwell estate. It is still extant.   

See family tree, Hugh Massy b. 1721.  His father: William Massy was the son of Hugh Massy and Amy Benson.1 He married Anne Bentley, daughter of John Bentley.2 He died in March 1768.2 

He lived at Stoneville, Rathkeale, County Limerick, IrelandG.1 In 1751 he bought Stoneville from Hon. Henry Southwell [b. 1700, son of Thomas Southwell, 1st Baron Southwell of Castle Mattress.] 

Shannon Grove, Pallaskenry, Co Limerick 

by jenjunebug

Shannon Grove, Pallaskenry, 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. 

p. 258. “(Bury/IFR; Waller/IFR; Armitage/LG1969) A very distinguished small early C18 house by the side of the Shannon estuary; begun ca 1709 by John Bury and completed ca 1723 by his son William; the architect seems likely to have been one of the Rothery family. Of two storeys over a basement, with a dormered attic in the high pitched roof. The entrance front and the front facing the river are both of five bays; but whereast the entrance front has a fairly simple doorcase with a segmental pediment (dated 1709), the river front doorcase (dated 1723) is splendidly baroque and incorporates a cartouche of arms; and it stands at the head of a much more impressive flight of steps than the entrance door does, owing to the basement being much higher on this side; doubtless a precaution against flooding. The roof is crowned with two tall and massive chimneystacks of patterned brickwork. All the main rooms have fielded panelling and there is a staircase of fine joinery with alternate barley sugar balusters. The house is flanked by two “L” shaped detached wings, with mullion and transom windows. Originally these wings had curvilinear gables on the entrance front. Shannon Grove was for some years post WWII the home of Mr and Mrs R.W. Armitage. It is now the home of Mr and Mrs John W. Griffith.” 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/21900308/shannongrove-shannongrove-co-limerick

no image 

Detached five-bay two-storey over basement country house, built c. 1709 and completed in c. 1723, with extensions to sides. Hipped roof with dormered attic and two tall chimneystacks of patterned brickwork. Square-headed window openings. Simple doorcase with segmental pediment to entrance front dated 1709, Baroque styled doorcase to garden front dated 1723 with a flight of steps leading to it. Roughcast rendered walls. House flanked by two L-shaped detached wings with mullion and transom windows. Pigeon house to east of house with a honeycombed in terior. 

Appraisal 

This is a very distinguished early eighteenth-century house, which was begun by John Bury and completed by his son, William, was designed by an architect who may have been one of the Rothery family. It is a highly significant house in terms of its style, along with the decorative elements such as the doorcases and the tall, massive patterned brick chimneystacks. It is sited significantly on the south shore of the Shannon estuary and the different doorway treatment on the river side underlines the importance of the riverine elevation. The survival of the pigeon house adds further technical interest in terms of the honeycombed interior which survives in this demesne related building. 

https://archiseek.com/2016/1709-shannon-grove-co-limerick

1709 – Shannon Grove, Co. Limerick 

Completed around 1709 in a Dutch-Palladian style, Shannon Grove is a fine medium sized Irish country houses. It has a central block with small symmetrical wings, and particularly fine brick chimneys. Possibly constructed by mason John O’Brien for landowner John Bury. 

http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/property-list.jsp?letter=S 

Originally the home of the Bury family, Earls of Charleville, overlooking the Shannon estuary. The Ordnance Survey Name Books record this house as four-storied, built in 1709. Bence Jones dates this house from the early 18th century. Lewis writes that Shannon Grove was the old family mansion of the Earls of Charleville and “now the residence of Bolton Waller”. Bolton Waller held the property in fee in the early 1850s when the buildings were valued at £43 and the demesne was over 400 acres. Bought by John Sheehy of Askeaton in 1860 and remained in the possession of his descendants until the mid 20th century. The house is still extant and occupied.   

Scarteen, Knocklong, Co Limerick 

by jenjunebug

Scarteen, Knocklong, 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. 

p. 255. “(Ryan/IFR) A two storey gabled C19 house of mildly Tudor-Revival character. Mullioned windows with hood mouldings; single-storey7 shallow battlemented bows. Overhanging roofs with bargeboards, Victorian glazed porch Seat of the Ryan family, whose famous pack of foxhounds, the Scarteen Black and Tans, is kennelled here.” 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/21904101/scarteen-scarteen-co-limerick

Detached three-bay two-storey country house, built c. 1820, with later nineteenth-century additions including a glazed porch. House comprising projecting gable-fronted bays, crenellated bay window and porch to front (south) elevation. Crenellated bay window, recessed crenellated bay and five-bay two-storey extension having gablets to west elevation. Pitched slate roof with timber bargeboards, finials and rendered chimneystacks. Hipped slate roof to extension. Single-pitched fishscale slate roof to porch. Roughcast rendered walls having render plinth course. Square-headed bipartite openings to first floor with render label mouldings and six-over-one pane timber casement windows. Square-headed opening to first floor, centre-bay having render label moulding and fixed window. Square-headed bipartite openings to ground floor with render label mouldings and bipartite four-over-one pane timber casement windows. Square-headed openings to extension, first floor having two-over-two pane timber sliding sash windows. Square-headed openings to porch having inset pointed arch fixed windows with recessed spandrels. Square-headed opening to porch with half-glazed timber panelled door. Four-bay two-storey outbuilding to north having open work bellcote to north elevation and four-bay single-storey outbuilding to south gable. Pitched slate roof. Rubble limestone walls. Square-headed window openings with limestone sills. Square-headed openings having timber battened doors. Pitched slate roof to south outbuilding with rubble limestone walls. Square-headed window openings with limestone sills. Square-headed door opening. Nine-bay single-storey outbuilding to south having pitched slate roof and cast-iron rainwater goods. Rubble limestone walls with cast-iron patris plates. Square-headed window openings with limestone sills. Square-headed openings having timber battened doors. Three-bay single-storey former gate lodge to east. Hipped slate roof with timber bargeboards and rendered chimneystack. Roughcast rendered walls. Square-headed openings having bipartite four-over-one pane timber casement windows. Square-headed opening with replacement timber panelled door. Pair of square-profile rusticated limestone piers to east with carved caps, plinth course and rusticated limestone walls. 

Appraisal 

Scarteen, built by the Ryan family in different phases, displays a predominantly nineteenth-century Tudor Revival façade. Features of this style include gabled projections, crenellated bay windows and decorative features such as the hoodmouldings. The retention of the slate roof and timber bargeboards help maintain the original character of the house. The substantial outbuildings and Tudor Revival gate lodge enhance the composition and add context to the site. 

 
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/property-list.jsp?letter=S 

Thaddeus R. Ryan was resident at nearby Castle Jane [Ryves Castle] in 1837 as recorded by Lewis and Scarteen was unoccupied. John Ryan was the occupier of Scarteen in the early 1850s when the house was valued at £30+. He held the property from William H. Ryves. His widow Alice owned 50 acres in county Limerick in the 1870s. The Ryans still live at Scarteen where the famous pack of hounds of that name is kennelled.  

In O’Hea O’Keeffe, Jane. Voices from the Great Houses: Cork and Kerry. Mercier Press, Cork, 2013.  

p. 64. Rosemary explains the Ryan-Purcell connection to the old house. “This was the home of my husband John’s mother, whose name was Anita Purcell. He was the younger son, and his elder brother inherited the Ryan family home at Scarteen in Knocklong, County Limerick. When we were first married, we lived at Scarteen, which was John’s childhood home. Later, he inherited Rich Hill near Annacotty, County Limerick, from his godfather, Dicky Howley, and we lived there for a short while. When John’s aunt, Louisa Purcell, died in the early 1960s, she left Burton Park to John, so we then came to live here and have been here ever since.  

Plassey House, Castletroy, Co Limerick 

by jenjunebug

Plassey House, Castletroy, Co Limerick 

Plassey House, County Limerick, 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. 232. “(Maunsell/IFR; Clive, sub Power, E/PB; Russell/IFR) A rambling two storey Victorian Italianate house built by the Russells, whose prosperous milling firm of J.N. Russell and Sons was centred on the nearby Plassey Mills. Pedimented three bay front at one end of the long façade, with two light window above single-storey portico supported by square Corinthian pillars. Aedicules with Corinthian pilasters framing ground floor windows, which are glazed in an unusual way, each with two rounded-headed lights. Pediments and entablatures on console brackets above first floor windows. Eaved roof on heavy bracket cornice. The house is said to incorporate a late C18 house of the Maunsell family. Earlier in C18, the estate, which was originally known as Ballykilty, was owned by the great Robert Clive, who renamed it Plassey after his famous victory. He was thus able to take the title of Baron Clive of Plassey, co Limerick when he was made an Irish peer, neatly commemorating the battle in the territorial designation of his peerage, which had to be a place in Ireland. Plassey House is now the National Institute for Higher Education.” 

https://archiseek.com/2009/plassey-house-limerick

1875 – Plassey House, Limerick 

Architect: Joseph Fogerty & Son 

Italianate style villa now part of the buildings of the Univerity of Limerick and known to the students as the white house (because it contained the offices of the President of the University). Originally the estate was owned by Robert Clive who renamed it Plassey after his victory in India. He later became Lord Clive of Plassey. 

The house has a columned porch to the west and is three stories in height, the third floor being artfully hidden in the roof level. The house was rebuilt by a local firm in 1875 – Joseph Fogerty & Son. 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/21900505/plassey-house-sreelane-co-limerick

Plassey House, SREELANE, County Limerick 

Detached L-plan multiple-bay two-storey country house, built c. 1770, comprising three-bay front block with pedimented shallow breakfront having single-storey portico. Rebuilt in the 1870s. Recessed two-bay three-storey block to west with two-bay two-storey extension. Recent extensions to rear. Hipped slate roofs with bracketed eaves course and rendered chimneystacks. Rendered walls having quoins and plinth courses. Square-headed openings to first floor with two-over-two pane timber sliding sash windows, render entablatures, sills and continuous sills course. Those to west block having pedimented architraves. Square-headed openings to ground floor having two-over-two pane timber sliding sash windows with flanking Corinthian style pilasters and render sills. Portico comprising Corinthian style columns supporting entablature with render cornice. Square-headed opening having glazed overlight over half-glazed double-leaf timber panelled doors with flanking sidelights. Ornate cornicing to interior. 

Appraisal 

Plassy House, a notable example of a Georgian villa style country house, was rebuilt in the Italianate style. Originally the estate was owned by Robert Clive who renamed it Plassey after his victory in India. He later became Lord Clive of Plassey. The Russell family extended it in the 1860s, the work was purportedly carried out by the architect William Fogarty. The Russells owned the nearby Plassey Mills. Prominently sited close to the River Shannon and within the campus of the University of Limerick, the house forms a pleasing focal point for the surrounding area. View from north west. 

Plassey House, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.
Plassey House, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.
Plassey House, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.
Plassey House, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.
Plassey House, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.
Plassey House, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.
Plassey House, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/21818001/plassey-house-plassey-park-road-newcastle-castletroy-co-limerick

Pair of painted square-profile monolith limestone piers, built c. 1890. Comprising carved rounded caps with recessed panels, recessed panels to piers and acanthus-headed cast-iron railings terminating in carved limestone piers. 

Appraisal 

These imposing and ornate gates, formerly an entrance to Plassey House, are well designed and executed. The monolith piers are finely carved, forming a strong focal point, which is complimented by the ornate cast-iron gates with acanthus leaf motifs. They provide important context to the locality and form an attractive roadside feature. 

Plassey House, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.
Plassey House, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.

 
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/property-list.jsp?letter=P 

Built by Thomas Maunsell, founder of Maunsells’ bank, Limerick, and occupied by him in 1814. Inherited by his daughter Mrs Robert Hedges Eyre Maunsell. Occupied by Reuben Harvey in 1837 and at the time of Griffith’s Valuation. Harvey held the property from the trustees of Mrs Hedges Maunsell. The residence of Richard Russell in 1868. Home of John Norris Russell in the 1870s. Bence Jones writes that the present Plassey House is “a rambling two storey Victorian Italianate house built by the Russells”. This house is now part of the University of Limerick.   

Martinstown House, Kilmallock, Co Limerick 

by jenjunebug

Martinstown House, Kilmallock, 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. 

p. 203. “(McCalmont/IFR) A modern house in the Classical style, built ca 1972 for Mrs Dermot McCarlmont to the design of Mrs Baker-Baker; executed by Mr Christopher Jacob. Two storey seven bay main block with pedimented doorcase; single-storey wings. Generous roofs, on cornices, bold chimneystacks.” 

and supplement: ” The house was in fact designed by C. Harvey Jacob and Associates incollaboration with Mrs Baker-Baker. 

Not in national inventory 

http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/property-list.jsp?letter=M 

Martinstown was the residence of M. Walsh in 1837. At the time of Griffith’s Valuation this was a house on the Trench/Gascoigne estate valued at £10+ and inhabited by William O’Grady. Bence Jones refers to a modern house built in circa 1972 at Martinstown, Kilmalloc

Mount Coote, Kilmallock, Co Limerick 

by jenjunebug

Mount Coote, Kilmallock, 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. 

A three storey Georgian house with an entrance front of two bays between two shallow curved bows; flanked by single-storey one bay wings with gables and bargeboards. Victorian porch.  Demolished ca 1960 and a new house built in the Georgian style to the design of Mr Donal O’Neill Flanagan; of two storeys and seven bays, with a pediment and a parapeted roof. The home of Mr. Alan Lillingston, who won the Champion Hurdle as an amateur rider, and Lady Vivienne Lillingston.” 

https://archiseek.com/2011/mount-coote-kilmallock-co-limerick

1790s – Mount Coote, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick 

Fine Georgian residence of three storeys with single storey wings. Demolished in the late 1950s and replaced with a georgian-style house. Photograph from the Irish Tourist Association Survey 1943-44. 

http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/property-list.jsp?letter=M 

The county Limerick seat of the Coote family in the 18th and 19th centuries. Wilson refers to it as “the pleasant seat of Mr. Coote” in 1786. It was occupied by Chidley Coote in 1814. Lewis refers to it as the former seat of Chidley Coote in 1837. Charles Coote was resident at the time of Griffith’s Valuation and held the property in fee. The buildings were valued at £53. Their value had increased to £65 by 1906. The Irish Tourist Association surveyor wrote in 1943 that the house was bought by Sir Gilbert Greenall, who became 1st Lord Daresbury, who spent about £200,000 setting up a Model Farm. [Lord Daresbury also owned Clonshire]. Following his death three years previously it was sold and then run as a stud farm. Bence Jones writes that this house was demolished circa 1960 and a new house built in the Georgian style.   

Charles Eyre Coote (1801-1858), third son of Chidley Coote (1776-1843) by James Butler Brenan RHA (1825-1889) courtesy Whyte’s Sept 2003.

Mellon, Pallaskenry, Co Limerick 

by jenjunebug

Mellon, Pallaskenry, 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. 

p. 204. “(Westropp/IFR) A house of two storeys over a basement built ca 1780 by John Westropp. Fanlighted doorway; four bay garden front facing across the Shannon. Two bay side. A house with a delightful atmosphere.” 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/21900403/mellon-house-mellon-co-limerick

Mellon, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.

Detached three-bay two-storey over basement house, built c. 1780, having four-bay single-storey addition to south. Skirt slate roof with rendered chimneystacks. Rendered walls. Square-headed openings to first floor having six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows. Those to ground floor having nine-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows and limestone sills. Round-headed opening to south elevation with spoked fanlight over eight-over-six pane timber sliding sash window and limestone sill. Square-headed openings to basement with three-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows and limestone sills. Segmental-headed opening having spoked fanlight over half-glazed timber panelled door with flanking timber pilasters having grape motifs, sidelights with render risers and flanking pilasters having grape motifs. Limestone threshold to entrance. Single-bay single-storey outbuilding to east with hipped slate roof and metal weathervane. Rubble limestone and sandstone walls. Square-headed opening having replacement timber battened door. L-plan multiple-bay single-storey outbuilding to west with hipped slate roof and rendered chimneystacks. Rubble limestone and sandstone masonry walls. Segmental-headed arches having brick voussoirs and inset square-headed door openings. Multiple-bay single-storey with dormer attic outbuilding to south having pitched slate roof, brick chimneystacks and rooflights. Rubble limestone and sandstone walls. Brick dovecotes to south elevation, now blocked up. Square-headed openings having replacement casement windows. Segmental-headed carriage arches with red brick voussoirs and inset replacement doors. Pair of square-profile rubble limestone and sandstone piers to north leading to courtyard. Pair of square-profile chamfered limestone piers to west having carved caps, plinths and double-leaf cast-iron spear-headed gates. Flanking pair of cast-iron spear-headed pedestrian gates terminating in second pair of limestone piers. Sweeping walls with limestone copings terminating in third pair of limestone piers. 

Appraisal 

Built on the site of a Desmond castle, Mellon House is a pleasing middle sized pile of balanced Georgian proportions. It exists largely in its original form and retains much of its original fabric. John Westropp is attributed as the builder of the house. The façade is enhanced by the entrance with its generous fanlight and timber pilasters, which serve to enliven the underlying regular classical form. The courtyard remains largely intact. Finely carved entrance piers further enhance the composition and provide artistic interest to the overall complex. 

Mellon, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.
Mellon, County Limerick, courtesy National Inventory.

http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/property-list.jsp?letter=M 

The Westropp family are recorded as “of Mellon” from the early 18th century. Bence Jones dates the present house from circa 1780, the Ordnance Survey Field Name Books from 1812. Inhabited by Mrs Jane Westropp (nee Dawson) in the early 1850s. It was valued at £36. This 3 storied house was still in Westropp possession in the late 20th century. It is now run as a stud.