Waterston (or Waterstown) House, Athlone, Co Westmeath
Waterston, County Westmeath, garden front c. 1910. 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. 282. “(Harris-Temple, sub Harris, B/PB) p. 282. “(Harris-Temple, sub Harris, B/PB) A very handsome three storey seven bay house by Richard Castle, with a solid roof parapet, rusticated window surrounds on the ground floor and a pedimented and rusticated doorway. Built ca 1749 for Gustavus Handcock, MP, ancestor of the Temple family who subsequently owned it; and whose heiress was the second wife of 2nd Lord Harris. Brick gateway, hermitage, dovecot. The house is now in ruins.”
Paddy Rossmore. Photographs. Edited by Robert O’Byrne. The Lilliput Press, Dublin 7, 2019.
“Only five bays of the original seven-bay garden front survive to indicate the scale of Waterstown, built around 1745 to the designs of Richard Castle. The land on which it stands was originally owned by a branch of the Dillon family and supposedly they erected a castle here although no evidence of it survives. The estate was acquired in the middle of the seventeenth century by William Handcock, originally from Lancashire. It was his grandson Gustavus Handcock who, following marriage to Elizabeth, only daughter and heiress of Robert Temple of Mount Temple in the same county, embarked on building a new residence here. Of three storeys over basement and faced with cut limestone, Waterstown seems to have mostly impressed thanks to its scale. The architectural features were undistinguished and the surviving interior wall shows the remains of the period’s standard plaster panelling. Passing through the female linke on one occasion in the nineteenth cnetury, Waterstown remained in the possession of Gustavus and Elizabeth Handcock’s descendants until 1923 when the place was sold to the Land Commission. Thereafter the condition of the ouse quickly deteriorated, and in 1928 a new owner stripped it of anythign valuable: the main Gibbsian doorcase went to another house while the principal estate gates can now be seen outside St Mel’s cathedral, Longford. A number of outbuildings and follies survive in the former demesne.”
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.
Tudenham Park (formerly Rochfort), Mullingar, Co Westmeath
Tudenham Park, County Westmeath entrance front 1961, photograph: Hugh Doran, 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.Tudenham Park, County Westmeath, courtesy of Sherry FitzGerald Davitt & Davitt Mullingar.
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. 26. “(Rochfort, sub Belvedere, E/DEP; Hopkins, Bt, of Athboy/PB1860; Tottenham/IFR) p. 26. “(Rochfort, sub Belvedere, E/DEP; Hopkins, Bt, of Athboy/PB1860; Tottenham/IFR) A large three storey block of ca 1742 by the side of Lough Ennell; attributed by the Knight of Glin to Richard Castle. Built for George Rochfort, brother of 1st Earl of Belvedere, who lived alongside him at Belvedere; and who, having quarrelled with him, built a large sham ruin to shut out the view of his brother’s house. Faced with ashlar which appears to have been re-pointed mid-C19. Entrance front with central niche and oculus above a Doric columned doorcase. Side elevations with central curved bows. Large hall with a fireplace on either side; large and lofty reception rooms, some with covered cornices in the style of Robert West. Two storey upper hall with well gallery and glass dome which, like the staircase widow, was reglazed with stained glass. Terrace near house overlooking the water. Immense Victorian entrance gates, railing and lodge. Sold ca 1836 to Sir Francis Hopkins, 2nd Bt, who left it to his sister, Anna Maria, wife of N.L. Tottenham; its name was subsequently changed from Rochfort to Tudenham Park. Used as a hospital during WWI, and occupied by the military in WWII. Stood empty and derelict for some years, demolished ca 1957, now a shell.”
Tudenham Park, Co Westmeath, photograph by Robert French, (between ca. 1865-1914), Lawrence Photograph Collection, National Library of Ireland.
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. 144. “A large three storey house of very high quality built c. 1742 for George Rochfort and attributed to Richard Castle. Very fine interior which included a large entrance hall with screens of columns at both ends. Some reception rooms and the main staircase were altered c. 1790 and had good neo-classical plasterwork. The house was stripped c. 1957-58 and is now a ruin which should be preserved.”
In Blake, Tarquin. Abandoned Mansions of Ireland. Collins Press, Cork, 2010.
Detached seven-bay three-storey over basement country house, built c.1743, with projecting full-height bows to the centre of the west and east side elevations. Later return to rear (south). Later in use as a military hospital (1914-1919). Now out of use and a roofless overgrown shell. Shallow hipped natural slate roof, now collapsed, having a pair of cut limestone chimneystacks to the centre, aligned parallel with former roof ridge, having moulded ashlar cornices over. Constructed of ashlar limestone with extensive cut limestone detailing, including a heavy moulded eaves cornice, raised quoins to the corners and a string course at first floor level. Square-headed window openings, diminishing in size towards eaves, with moulded cut stone architraved surrounds and cut stone sills. Central round-headed pedimented tripartite Doric doorcase to south façade having four columns supporting entablature and pediment over. Fittings to all openings now gone. Round-headed niche flanked by Ionic pilasters over central doorcase at first floor level with a circular/oculus niche over to second floor having a scrolled console bracket to base. Interior now gutted but retaining some fragments of original plasterwork to ground floor walls. Located in extensive grounds on the western shores of Lough Ennell to the south of Mullingar. Remains of former outbuildings to the northeast and former main entrance gates and attendant gate lodge (15402616) to the east.
Appraisal
Though Tudenham Park sadly now survives only as a roofless shell, this building is of high architectural and artistic significance and retains good quality cut stone detailing throughout. This enormous Palladian edifice was built for George Rochfort, a brother of Robert Rochfort of Belvedere House (15402615), and was designed by the same architect as Belvedere, namely Richard Castle. Tudenham Park shares with Belvedere the bow projections to the side elevations, but it is built on a much larger scale than its neighbour to the north and does not display as much ingenuity in its design. The regularity of the main façade is only broken by the central arrangement of architectural motifs to the centre of the main façade, namely the tripartite doorcase with a blank Venetian niche over and the oculus opening to the second floor. This central arrangement is a typical feature of much of Castle’s work and of Palladian architecture in this part of Ireland in general. Tudenham Park played an important role in the development of the planned landscape at Belvedere to the north and its scale probably pre-empted the erection of ‘The Jealous Wall’ (15402614) to the north, which was built to shield Robert Rochfort’s view of his brother’s enormous pile to the south. Tudenham House was later sold to Sir Francis Hopkins, c.1837 and to the Tottenham Family c.1870. It was later used as a hospital during World War I and was still in military ownership until after 1945 and was gutted and de-roofed in 1957. Although the building is badly overgrown it is pleasing to find surviving fragments of plaster panelling to the interior. In addition the remnants of the former service buildings to the rear are of note and have some good examples of brick vaulting. Tudenham Park is beautifully sited on the shores of Lough Ennell and is an important part of the architectural heritage of Westmeath.
Detached three-bay single-storey former gate lodge on cruciform plan, dated 1865, with a projecting open two-bay porch to the north side. Originally served Tudenham Park (15402617) to the west and now in use as an office for the Fisheries Board. Later return to rear (south). Shallow hipped natural slate roof hidden behind a raised moulded limestone parapet perforated with circular openings. Constructed of bush-hammered dressed limestone over a moulded ashlar plinth with extensive ashlar limestone trim, including a string course, eaves cornice and garland panels. Round-headed window openings having cut limestone surrounds with projecting keystone detail over, moulded sills to west and east elevations and one-over-one pane timber sliding sash windows. Paired round-headed openings to east elevation with replacement windows. Paired round-headed openings to porch on north elevation, supported by a central shared cut stone column with a foliate capital over. Further paired cut stone pillars on square plan to east and west ends of porch (north). Central recessed square-headed doorcase to porch having a timber panelled door with a cut limestone surround having rounded corners to head and flanked to either side (east and west) by narrow window lights with cut stone surrounds. Cut limestone datestone over centre of porch with polychrome tiles to porch floor. Located adjacent to attendant gates (east), erected 1865, comprising five moulded ashlar limestone gate piers with cornices and recessed panels, linked by sections of ashlar limestone plinth walling with decorative cast-iron railings over. Gate piers to the north of the lodge support cast-iron double gates. Located to the east of Tudenham Park (15402617) and to the south of Mullingar.
Appraisal
A highly appealing and well-executed Italianate gate lodge and associated main entrance gates serving Tudenham Park (15402617). The building and associated gates are richly decorated with cut stone and cast-iron work of a high artistic standard and value. The juxtaposition of the bush hammered stonework and the smooth ashlar dressings, offers a pleasant textural contrast to the façade of this robust structure. Of good proportions and embellished with a full decorative scheme, this building contrasts sharply with a number of the more modest former gate lodges to the north. The Italianate style of this gate lodge also contrasts appealing with the more rigid form of the earlier Palladian style used at Tudenham Park itself. It is now rare to find a gate lodge in such good condition, which retains its original ground plan and which has not been altered significantly to accommodate new owners or a new use. This fine lodge and its attendant gateway replaced an earlier gateway and lodge to the south, now demolished, and forms part of an important group of related structures with Tudenham Park (15402617), representing an integral element of the architectural heritage of Westmeath.
As mentioned a few days ago, in the mid-18th century the first Earl of Belvedere quarreled with his brother George Rochfort and so built the ‘Jealous Wall’, a sham folly that obscured the view of the younger man’s house further south on Lough Ennell. Here is the property in question, Tudenham Park, which, like Belvedere itself, is believed to have been designed by Richard Castle. However, whereas Belvedere is really a villa, this is a proper country house, of three storeys over basement with bowed projections on either side and a seven-bay entrance front, its plainness relieved by the pedimented tripartite Doric doorcase with round-headed niche above and then a circular bracketed niched below the parapet. Occupied by successive families until the early 20th century, Tudenham Park then became a hospital and was in military ownership until the 1950s when unroofed and left a shell. Some 15 or so years ago, plans were hatched to rescue the building and restore it to use but these came to nothing, so it remains the ruin seen in these pictures.
Summary 18th Century period house on 2.33 Hectares 24.06 Hectares of Grassland with 2km of lake frontage Description This 18th century estate on 65 acres of grass land on the banks of Lough Ennell is a unique chance to own a piece of history. Located beside the Belvedere House estate and separated by the “Jealous Wall.” The house is three storeys over a basement and is in need of renovation, with the roof having been removed in 1957. The land comes with 2km approx. of lake frontage and a boathouse. History Tudenham Park House, originally called Rochfort House, is an 18th-century Palladian limestone country house located in Tudenham Park on the Rochfort Demesne near Belvedere House and Gardens beside Lough Ennell, County Westmeath, Ireland. The construction on the house began in 1717, and it was completed in 1742 for George Rochfort. It was purchased by Sir Francis Hopkins in 1836, and the name was subsequently changed from Rochfort to Tudenham Park. The house is known for being involved in an ordeal with Robert Rochfort’sbrother, George, which resulted in Robert constructing The Jealous Wall so he would not have to look at his brother’s grander house. During World War II, the house was used as a convalescent home for army officers. Special Features & Services – 18th Century Period House – 26.39 Hectares / 65.2 acres approx – 2km of Lake Frontage – Beside Belvedere House – Overlooking Lough Ennell – House In Need of Renovation – Exceptional Development Potential Joint Agents: Property Partners McDonnell Contact David McDonnell 086 2586403 Sherry Fitzgerald Davitt & Davitt contact Alan Bracken 087 9257346
Features
on c.65 acre Lakeside farmland overlooking Lough Ennell.
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. 262. “(Tuite). a C18 house consisting of a plain three storey seven bay centre block joined to a three bay single-storey wings by one bay links. Centre block with segmental pedimented doorcase and wall carried up to be roof parapet. One a February night 1783, Sir George Tuite 7th Bt was found murdered in his study here, his brains having been beaten out. His King Charles spaniel, which was with him, had likewise been battered to death. There was no robbery, nor had any papers been disturbed; the murderer was never discovered. 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. 144. Three storey 18C house with flanking single storey wings. Seat of the Tuites. Demolished.
Rosmead, County Westmeath entrance front, photograph: Lord Rossmore, 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. 246. ““A large three storey Georigan bloc, once the seat of the Wood family, now a ruin. Columns form it were used in the rebuilding of Balrath Bury. Seven bay front, with three bay breakfront centre. At the entrance to the demesne is an elegant triumphal arch with Corinthian pilasters and large urns on the flanking walls; this was brought here from Glananea.”
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. 144. Large three storey late 18C house. Seat of W.H. Wood in 1814. Now a ruin.
Casey, Christine and Alistair Rowan. The Buildings of Ireland: North Leinster. Penguin Books, London, 1993.
Detached seven-bay three-storey country house, built c.1780 and extended to the rear c. 1860, having advanced three-bay breakfront to the centre of the southeast elevation. Possibly incorporating the fabric of an earlier house(s) to site, built c. 1700. Possibly converted to ‘ecclesiastical’ use c. 1933. Now in a ruinous and overgrown condition. Roof now collapsed, probably originally shallow hipped, having raised parapet with limestone eaves cornice and blocking course. Coursed rubble limestone walls with ashlar limestone trim, including string course above ground floor level. Square-headed window openings, diminishing in size towards eaves, no longer retaining any fittings. Cut stone sills and cut stone lintels over the openings. Square-headed door opening to the centre of the three-bay breakfront, fittings now removed. Southwest elevation formerly served a tetrastyle entrance porch, possibly erected c. 1860, now removed. Extensive complex of ruinous outbuildings to the northwest and a triumphant arch gateway to the southwest (15400904). Set well back from road to the northwest of Delvin and to the southwest of Clonmellon.
Appraisal
The impressive ruins of a very large, well-proportioned and imposing Georgian country house, now forming a picturesque shell, of some romantic quality, in the landscape to the northeast of Delvin. This former great house originally had two principal entrance fronts, the southeastern elevation with the breakfront and the southwest elevation, which originally was served by a tetrastyle entrance porch. This porch was removed in 1942 and used in the rebuilding Balrath Bury House, near Kells, Co. Meath. The roof was probably removed at the same time and the house sadly left to decay. Rosmead House was originally built by the Wood Family, who had their home here since c.1700 and possibly as far back as mid seventeenth century (A John Wood of Rosemead, County Westmeath died 1710 aged 82). The form of the present structure suggests that it was rebuilt c. 1780 although it may containfabric from an earlier house or houses to site. Rosemead was the residence of a Hans Wood in 1787 and in 1837 it was the home of H. W. (Henry Widman) Wood, Esq., and was described as being ‘surrounded by fine plantations’ at this time (Lewis 1837). Admiral Hercules Robinson Senior married Frances Elizabeth Wood, daughter and heir of H.W. Wood and they lived at Rosmead until 1849. Their son, Hercules Junior left Ireland and in 1854 became President Administrator of the Government of Montserrat later followed by many more important appointments including Governor of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), New South Wales and New Zealand. In 1864(?) he was made a baronet and chose the title ‘Baron of Rosmead’. Lord Vaux took over Rosmead Estate in 1856, and later carried out ‘alterations and additions to the house (IAA), which were completed by Francis Nulty, builder, of Kells, in 1858 (IAA). Improvements may also have been carried out to the ‘offices’ at Rosmead in 1852 to designs by Matthew Price (drawing in IAA). Rosemead was in the ownership of Lord Greville (of nearby Clonyn Castle) in 1881 (Slater’s Directory) and was later the home of Charlotte Mildred Marquise de la Bedoyere (daughter of Lord Greville) who died in 1906. The house may have been altered for ‘religious use’ to designs by the prolific and esteemed architect Ralph Henry Byrne (1877 – 1946) in 1933 (IAA). However, the house was derelict and the porch removed in 1942 (see above) so it is probable that no works were carried out by Byrne in the 1930s. An extensive collection of attendant outbuildings to the rear enhance the group and setting values of the site, and help provide an historical insight into the extensive resources required to maintain a country estate of this importance during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Rosmead House, CAVESTOWN AND ROSMEAD, County Westmeath
Triumphant arched gateway serving Rosmead House (15400921), erected c.1795. Comprises round-headed carriage arch flanked by giant order Corinthian pilasters supporting entablature and cornice over and terminated by square-piers, originally topped by urn finials (now removed). Arch supports pair of wrought-iron gates. Constructed of ashlar limestone with extensive ashlar trim. Keystone, masks and Corinthian capitals executed in Coade stone. Gate flanked to either side by low rendered walls terminated by gate piers on square plan. Located to the south of Rosemead House and to the north of Delvin.
Appraisal
An important, elegantly-composed triumphant arch gateway serving Rosmead House (15400921). These spectacular entrance gates are very well-built using high quality ashlar limestone and are extensively embellished using ashlar and Coade Stone detailing. Coade stone was a type of ‘artificial stone’ first created by Mrs. Eleanor Coade (1733-1821), andsold commercially from 1769 to 1833. It was commonly used for decorative elements of Georgian buildings in England, particularly in the southeast, but is rare material in Ireland. These gates were originally designed by the renowned architect Samuel Woolley to serve a neighbouring estate, Glananea House (15305003), near Drumcree. These gates were later dismantled and moved to Rosemead in the early nineteenth-century after the owner of Glananea House, a Ralph Smyth, got tired of been called ‘Smyth with the gates’. However, his plan backfired slightly and flowing the moving of these elaborate gates he was later known locally as ‘Smyth without the gates’, much to his chagrin. Apparently, the statues and urns that originally formed part of this gateway are now in a private collection in Northern Ireland. These gate now form a highly appealing and visual pleasing artefact in the landscape to the north of Delvin and acts as an historical reminder of Rosmead House, now derelict to the north.
Portleman, County Westmeath, cantilevered staircase c. 1935, photograph: John Betjeman. 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. 233. “(De Blaquiere, B/OB1917) p. 233. “(De Blaquiere, B/PB1917) A 3 storey six bay C18 house on rising ground above Lough Owel. Entrance door was in pillared recess; elaborate curved staircase. Its name is perhaps an allusion to the fact that Lt-Col John Blaquiere, 1st Lord de Blaquiere, who acquired it toward the end of C18, was the son of a Swiss immigrant. 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.
Moydrum Castle, County Westmeath entrance front c. 1860, 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. 219. “(Handcock, Castlemaine/B/PB) An early C19 castle by Richard Morrison, built 1812 for 1stLord Castlemaine; incorporating an earlier house described at the time as “nothing more than an ordinary farmhouse, contracted in its dimensions, mean in its external form, and inconvenient in its interior arrangements” in contrast to “most finished and complete residence” which it became. As completed the castle had battlemented and machicolated entrance tower with two slender polygonal turrets and a perpendicular window above the front door; at one side was a single bay with another polygonal turret, at the other a lower and longer battlemented range. Burnt 1921.”
Moydrum Castle, County Westmeath, photograph by Robert French, (between ca. 1865-1914), Lawrence Photograph Collection, National Library of Ireland.
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. 144. …the interiors were a mixture of Gothic and classical as at Thomastown, County Tipperary and Borris County Carlow. …Now a ruin.
Moydrum Castle, County Westmeath, photograph by Robert French, (between ca. 1865-1914), Lawrence Photograph Collection, National Library of Ireland.
THE VISCOUNTS CASTLEMAINE WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WESTMEATH, WITH 11,444 ACRES WILLIAM HANDCOCK (c1631-1707), of Twyford, County Westmeath, descended from a family of considerable antiquity in Lancashire, MP for that county in the first parliament after the restoration of CHARLES II, was nominated one of the Council of Connaught, and obtained a patent, 1680, to erect his estates into a manor, under the designation of the Manor of Twyford, with ample privileges.
Mr Handcock married, in 1652, Abigail, sister of Sir Thomas Stanley, by whom he had, with other issue,
THOMAS, his heir; William (Sir), Recorder of Dublin; Stephen (Very Rev), Dean of Clonmacnoise; Matthew (Ven), Archdeacon of Kilmore; Stanley, drowned; Hannah; Sarah; Elizabeth.
The eldest son,
THOMAS HANDCOCK (1654-1726), of Twyford, MP for Lanesborough, 1692-5, espoused, in 1677, Dorothy Green, and had issue,
WILLIAM, his heir; Eliah; Thomas; Samuel; Sarah; Abigail; Mary; Dorothy.
Mr Handcock was succeeded by his eldest son,
WILLIAM HANDCOCK (1676-1723), MP for Athlone, 1703-14, County Westmeath, 1721-23, who wedded Sarah, daughter of Richard Warburton, and had issue,
WILLIAM, his heir; George; Thomas; RICHARD, of whom hereafter; Robert; John Gustavus; Abigail; Susan; Dorothy; Susanna.
Mr Handcock was succeeded by his eldest son,
WILLIAM HANDCOCK (1704-41), MP for Fore, 1727-41, who espoused Elizabeth, second daughter of the Rt Rev Sir Thomas Vesey Bt, Lord Bishop of Ossory, though the marriage was without issue, and he was succeeded by his brother,
THE VERY REV RICHARD HANDCOCK (c1716-91), of Twyford, Dean of Achonry, who married Sarah, only daughter and heiress of Richard Toler, of Ballintore, County Kildare, and had issue,
WILLIAM, his heir; Richard; Sarah; Susanna; Dorothy; Mary; Elizabeth; Anne.
The Dean was succeeded by his eldest son,
THE RT HON WILLIAM HANDCOCK MP (1761-1839), MP for Athlone, 1783-1800, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1812, in the dignity of Baron Castlemaine.
His lordship was advanced to a viscountcy, in 1822, as VISCOUNT CASTLEMAINE.
On his lordship’s death the viscountcy expired, though the barony passed to his brother.
The heir apparent is the present holder’s only son, the Hon Ronan Michael Handcock.
The 5th Baron was the last Lord-Lieutenant of County Westmeath, from 1899 until 1922.
Roland Thomas John [Handcock], 8th and present Lord Castlemaine, MBE, lives at Salisbury, Wiltshire.
The heir is the present holder’s son, the Hon Ronan Michael Handcock (b 1989).
MOYDRUM CASTLE, near Athlone, County Westmeath, was a seven-bay, two-storey over basement castellated country house, rebuilt ca 1812 (incorporating the fabric of an earlier house built c1750), having an advanced three-storey breakfront/gate tower (offset) to the west side of centre.
There were turrets on an octagonal plan to the corners of an advanced tower and to the west end of the front façade (north); a turret on square plan to the east end.
The house is now out of use, derelict and partially collapsed to the west side.
There were rough-cast, cement-rendered walls, now failing and exposing limestone rubble construction below, with cut stone plinth to base.
Clasping buttresses between bays to the east side of tower; extensive decoration to walls with incised cross loop motifs, cut stone quatrefoils and cut stone hood mouldings over window openings.
The walls are now largely overgrown with ivy.
Square-headed openings to main body of structure, originally having cut stone surrounds and cut-stone tracery.
Tudor Gothic-arched doorcase to front face of tower, inset within a Tudor-Gothic arched recess and originally with cut stone surrounds (now gone).
Pointed-arched window over doorcase to first storey, originally with Geometric tracery.
Set back from road in extensive mature grounds with remains of a walled garden and ancillary structures to the rear.
These remain impressive and picturesque ruins of a large-scale, Gothic-Revival, castellated country house.
The scale and the attention to detail are still apparent, despite its ruinous condition; and fragments of the early cut stone detailing are still evident to a number of openings from behind the extensive ivy growth.
This important Gothic-Revival essay was built to designs by Sir Richard Morrison (1767-1849), who was commissioned by William Handcock to rebuild an existing house befitting of his new status as Lord Castlemaine, ca 1812.
The house was burnt by the IRA in 1921 and has remained a ruin ever since.
Moydrum Castle, given its status as the seat of HM Lord-Lieutenant of County Westmeath and a member of the House of Lords, was chosen as a suitably symbolic target for Irish republican reprisals: On the night of July 3rd, 1921, an assembly of IRA members marched on the castle.
The 5th Baron was out of Ireland at the time, but Lady Castlemaine and their daughter, together with several servants, were in residence and were woken from their sleep by knocking at the door.
They were given time to gather together a few valuable belongings before the building was set alight. The blaze completely destroyed the castle.
Following the establishment of the Irish Free State, much of the land belonging to Lord Castlemaine was acquired by the Irish Land Commission.
The Castlemaines were never to return to Moydrum.
These impressive and romantic ruins have been much photographed since and a picture of the remains featured on the cover of the U2 album ‘The Unforgettable Fire‘.
These ruins have now become almost a place of pilgrimage for U2 fans and the interior walls are now covered with graffiti relating to the band, giving this site a new cultural significance.
Former residence ~ Rathmore House, Fiddown, County Kilkenny.
Castlemaine arms courtesy of European Heraldry. First published in May, 2012.
Described in 1837 by Lewis, “About a mile and a half from Athlone on the Leinster side of the Shannon is Moydrum Castle the handsome residence of Viscount Castlemaine a solid castellated mansion with square turrets at each angle beautifully situated on the edge of a small lake and surrounded by an extensive and richly wooded demesne.” In July of 1921 the British Army, searching for arms, burnt down 3 neighboring farms, the local Republican army retaliated by burning down Moydrum.
The ruins of Moydrum Castle, County Westmeath. The former seat of the Handcock family, an earlier house here was described in Neale’s Views of Seats (1823) as being ‘nothing more than an ordinary farmhouse, contracted in its dimensions, mean in its external form and inconvenient in its interior arrangements.’ By that date work was already underway to transform and enlarge the building into a neo-Jacobean castle designed by Richard Morrison suitable as a residence for William Handcock, raised to the peerage first as Baron and then Viscount Castlemaine. The completed work was described by Samuel Lewis in 1837 as ‘a solid castellated mansion with square turrets at each angle beautifully situated on the edge of a small lake and surrounded by an extensive and richly wooded demesne.’ This is what remains of the east-facing façade, the entrance resembling an immense gate-tower. Moydrum was burnt by members of the IRA in July 1921 and has remained derelict ever since: in 1984 a photograph of Moydrum by Anton Corbijn was used on the cover of U2’s album The Unforgettable Fire showing members of the band standing in front of the ruins.
The 1984, U2 album cover of the “Unforgettable Fire” which featured the iconic image of the castle.Accreditation- Copyright Universal Island Records LimitedMoydrum Castle stands near the small village of Ballylin outside Athlone in County Westmeath. This dramatic ruin has become a site of pilgrimage for fans of the band U2, since this building was featured on their ‘Unforgettable Fire’ album cover in 1984. The title of this album aptly describes how this now ivy covered hulk met its end in a conflagration of epic proportions in 1921. Today a lot of Moydrum Castle’s architectural detail is obscured by ivy which is also threatening the structural integrity of this building. Modern houses have grown up around the demesne and a public road passes very close to what remains of the castle. The walled gardens and other outbuildings to the rear of the main structure are being reused and adapted to suit alternative modern uses. The derelict remains of Moydrum Castle are a sad reminder of the passive nature that is adopted in regard to the preservation of historical and culturally significant buildings such as this. The area immediately around the castle is out of bounds to the general public and over zealous U2 fans. Their scrawled tributes on the gate entering the castle’s curtilage are a sad reminder of what an untapped resource this building is for the local community.
The story of this building begins with William Handcock who was an M.P. for Athlone, who was created Baron Castlemaine in 1812 for his support for the Act of Union. In that same year in recognition of his new position in society he employed the leading architect, Richard Morrison, to design a castle in the Gothic Revival style. The building was essentially a two-storey, over basement castellated country house which was completed in 1814. It incorporated an earlier house that existed on the site from 1750 which had been described as an ordinary farmhouse with inconvenient interior arrangements. The completed castle had a battlemented entrance tower with two slender polygonal turrets on either side of the large entrance door. The entrance front was asymmetrical with a polygonal tower at one end and a square tower at the opposite corner. The windows of the front elevation had Gothic tracery while those on the side of the castle that over looked the garden had regular square headed sash windows. Over the front door there was balcony which could be accessed by a French door in an elaborate church-like window. While the exterior of the castle was Gothic in style, the interior was classical and was described as being similar to Borris House in County Carlow. There were a substantial quantity of farm buildings and gardens to the rear of the castle which were necessary to service a building of this size. The castle had an extensive complex of twenty seven outbuildings and many local people from the surrounding townlands were employed in various parts of the estate. Morrison was also engaged to design a hunting lodge on Hare Island which was a retreat for Baron Castlemaine and allowed him the opportunity to engage in fishing, shooting and boating on Lough Ree. A set of imposing gates and an adjoining lodge provided access to the demesne and the road that winds through the estate is still used today. After travelling through the entrance gates, the road divided in two, one road led to the front of the house while the other diverged and led to the servant’s entrance at the rear. Those lucky enough to be guests of the Castlemaine’s travelled through the landscaped parkland and over a little bridge that spanned a lake to the right of the castles entrance front.
The first Baron Castlemaine met an untimely end in 1839 when he fell out of his first floor bedroom window of the castle during a storm. As he had no children, the title and estate passed to his brother Richard. The second Baron Castlemaine did not enjoy the fruits of his new title for long, as one year later in 1840 he died in Dublin. He was then succeeded by his son, also named Richard, who was now styled the third Baron Castlemaine. Further problems were experienced by the family in 1840 when Moydrum Castle caught fire. An unattended candle in Lady Castlemaine’s bedroom caused the blaze after it fell into a turf bucket. This was one of three fires that were to occur during the lifetime of the castle which seemed destined to burn down. In order to reduce the pain and suffering of the tenants on the estate during the famine in the 1840s, a number of building projects were undertaken as a form of famine relief. These projects included the construction of a private family church, new entrance gates, farm buildings and an eight foot wall that enclosed the demesne. In 1859, the third Baron Castlemaine received six proposals from the architect William George Murray for a Tudor Gothic entrance gate and lodge but these were never executed. In 1869 the third Baron Castlemaine died and his son became the fourth Baron Castlemaine. Both of theseBarons did not treat their tenants well and were considered tyrants and a lot of public resentment existed locally against them. Possibly to appease local sentiment, the fourth Baron instigated a number of works centred on Moydrum church. A plaque on the gable of this building records that the entrance porch was erected by the fourth Baron in 1876. From 1886 onwards the fourth Baron began to sell off the lands of the estate under the Land Purchase Acts. In just over twenty years, the Handcocks had reduced their land holding from 12,041 acres to just 550 acres.
Both the fourth Baron Castlemaine and his wife died in 1892 and the Moydrum estate passed to their son Albert Edward Handcock now the fifth Baron Castlemaine. As Albert had received a substantial inheritance from his father together with Moydrum, he led a life of leisure as a country gentleman. He married Annie Evelyn Barrington from Kent in 1895 and after their marriage they returned to set up home in Moydrum. Two years later they were blessed with their one and only child, a daughter who they named Evelyn Constance. In the 1901 census the castle is described as having thirty-four rooms and nineteen windows across its entrance front. In residence at this time are the 38 year old, Baron Castlemaine, his wife aged 27, his daughter aged 3 and their ten servants. By 1911 the Castlemaine’s are still living in Moydrum and their retinue of servants now includes a German butler.
Lord and Lady Castlemaine were very active in social circles and were often mentioned attending numerous balls and events. Many of these events included mixing in royal circles which would explain the visit of the Duke of Connaught to Moydrum in August 1905. His Royal Highness arrived in Athlone on the 7.15 train from Dublin and was met at the station by Lord Castlemaine. The entourage then proceeded to Moydrum Castle in a procession of motor cars. After a brief sojourn they drove all round Lough Ree showing Queen Victoria’s son the local sights. In the evening the Duke of Connaught returned to Moydrum Castle where he dined with Lord and Lady Castlemaine. He eventually left by motor car for Shannonbridge to witness the successful crossing of the river by the advanced party of the Red Army. In April 1909, Lord and Lady Castlemaine who had been spending the winter at Marlay Grange in Dublin returned to Westmeath. An enthusiastic welcome was given to the Castlemaine’s arrival at their family’s ancestral seat after a protracted absence. His lordship, accompanied by Lady Castlemaine and their daughter, the Hon. Evelyn Handcock arrived from Dublin by the afternoon train and drove immediately to their home. As they reached the Moydrum gates, lusty cheers were raised by their tenants while a local band played stirring music and bonfires were lit. It appeared that the animosity of earlier years had dissipated and that the Castlemaine’s were now much loved by their tenants.
A ruinous fire eventually sealed the fate of Moydrum but the castle had avoided disaster by the same incident previously in 1840 & 1912. An account of the 1912 fire was featured in the national press which explained that paintings and antiques to the value of £1,000 were destroyed in the blaze that nearly claimed the life of Lady Castlemaine. Lord and Lady Castlemaine were in residence in the castle, when a fire began to fill the interior with smoke which awoke the household. Lady Castlemaine and the servants made their escape from the burning building by placing wet towels over their heads. The fire was quickly brought under control by the servants who saved the entire building from being gutted. The Castlemaine’s leased a house in Foxrock in Dublin while repairs and renovations were being carried out the castle in the aftermath of the blaze. Another strange incident to take place in Moydrum that was also featured in the national press highlighted the hatred that was beginning to boil over against the local landlord. On November 15, 1913 at 7.30pm a gun was discharged through the window of the drawing room of the castle. The window shattered and shot grains were found embedded in furniture at the far end of the room which smashed some of the china on the sideboard. Lady Castlemaine was in the castle at the time and both she and the servants were shocked by the incident. For the next number of yearsthe Castlemaine’s appeared to spend the winter months in Foxrock in Dublin and the remainder of the year was divided between Moydrum, London and Europe. By 1919, a worrying trend was developing in Ireland; the grand homes of the local gentry were being burnt down in order that the lands of the estate would be broken up. The Castlemaine’s were not initially concerned but as more and more houses were burnt; they thought it prudent to return to Westmeath. The fifth Baron was under the mistaken belief, that if he and his family were in residence it would ward off any attackers looking to take advantage of an empty house. In March 1921, Lord and Lady Castlemaine left Cannes in France where they had spent the winter. Lord Castlemaine returned firstly to Moydrum Castle and was joined shortly after by his wife who had spent some time in London. Around this time, the house burnings in Ireland had become more sporadic and it was thought that the threat to Moydrum had lessened considerable. Now that Lord Castlemaine suspected that Moydrum was no longer a target for attackers he left for London and Scotland in mid June 1921. A further indication that he was not concerned with any threat to Moydrum was illustrated by the fact that he left his wife and daughter behind, convinced of their safety. However Lord Castlemaine’s home had become a target, as he was seen as a member of the British establishment, he was a member of the House of Lords, British officers had often stayed in Moydrum Castle and Lord Castlemaine had previously dismissed men from his employment that would not join the British army.
On July 3, 1921, armed men gathered in the castle grounds at 3.30 am on the Sunday morning and surrounded the building. Present in the castle was Lady Castlemaine, her daughter and eight servants. After a loud knocking at the door, her ladyship looked out her bedroom window where she seen about sixty men outside with revolvers. As their knocks went unanswered, they smashed through the ground floor windows and made their way up the stairs. Before they reached her bed chamber they encountered a frightened Lady Castlemaine on the landing. She was given five minutes to leave the castle as the intruders intended to burn it to the ground. They said that they were burning her home as a reprisal for the recent burnings at Coosan and Mount Temple by the Black and Tans. They had procuredparaffin from the Castlemaine’s chauffeur and proceeded to move through the building, moving furniture in to piles in the center of the rooms and dousing it with the paraffin. Every method was used to accelerate the forthcoming flames, all the windows were opened and holes were punched in the ceiling and roof to create a draught. As the raiders were doing their destructive work, Lady Castlemaine and the servants set about removing personal belongings and the family silver, trying to save what they could. The servants were rounded up by the raiders and two armchairs were placed on the lawn in front of the castle for Lady Castlemaine and her daughter to view the destruction of their home. In anticipation of the fire, the leader of the raiders addressed Lady Castlemaine as to why her home was being burnt. Once the fire had taken hold and the castle could not be saved, the raiders dispersed. By the time authorities arrived, the castle was a blaze and nothing remained but the walls by the following morning. The damage was estimated at £120,000 and the majority of paintings, antiques, silver and jewelry had been lost. Lord Castlemaine quickly returned from London to view the blackened ruins of his castle. Upon his return he organized a cleanup operation, while he pondered what to do with the ruins of the castle and the remaining lands of the estate. One week later, he sent Lady Castlemaine and their daughter to London to recover from their terrible ordeal. In the month after the fire, a story appeared in The Irish Times that inferred that some of the servants had used the fire to steal items from the castle. Michael Grady and Patrick Delany pleaded guilty to a charge of having stolen an eclectic number of items from Moydrum on the night of the fire. These items included a fur coat, two dress shirts, a smoking jacket, a suit case, a bicycle and other articles that were the property of Lord Castlemaine. Grady was a Butler and Delany was a footman and both had worked in the castle. When the fire broke out, Delany reported the matter to the military and both he and Grady saved a considerable amount of valuable property and gave assistance to fight the fire. After the military had left, the men took away some of the aforementioned articles. After the fire they were unemployed and traveled to Dublin in search of work. While in the city they were badly in need of money, pawned the coat and this is how they came to be arrested. Grady was sentenced to six months imprisonment with hard labour and Delany who was under 21 years of age received four months imprisonment with hard labour.
In October 1921, £101,359 was awarded by Judge Fleming in Athlone to Lord Castlemaine for the destruction of his castle, furniture and personal belongings. In March 1922, a dispersal sale of the Moydrum farmyard equipment was advertised and in 1924, the remaining land of the estate was sold to the Land Commission. After the fire, Baron Castlemaine and his wife went to live at Langham House in Surrey, paying only occasional visits to Athlone where Lord Castlemaine’s brother still acted as his agent. On his death in the 1930s, the title and estates passed to his brother Robert Handcock. The castle languished in obscurity for decades until it played host to U2 in 1984. A number of photographs that were taken at the time and the iconic image of the front of the castle appeared on the album sleeve of the ‘Unforgettable Fire’. Over the years, many fans from all over the world have scoured the Westmeath county side to find this enigmatic building that now sits silent and bears little testament to the tumultuous events that occurred here.
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. 183. “(Lyons/LGI1912) A late-Georgian house of 1823; two storeys over high basement, five bay bow-ended front. Single-storey portico at head of broad flight of steps with iron railings; wide window above. Entrance hall and staircase hall in middle of house; bifurcating staircase. There was a printing press here in late C19. 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. 144. A two storey house dated 1823 incorporating an earlier 18C house and a tower house. Very fine well detailed Doric portico. Good interior including a very fine imperial staircase with a screen of fluted Doric columns on the first floor landing. Former seat of the Lyons family. Derelict for many years. Demolished.”
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.
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.
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. 113. “(Cooper.IFR) A house of early to mid C19 appearance, of two storeys over a basement and square in plan; with five bay front and side elevations. Porch with engaged columns; entablature over windows.”
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. Large two storey late Georgian house with single storey Doric portico. Now a ruin. Stables converted to a house.
Detached five-bay two-storey over basement country house, built c.1815 and remodelled c.1860, having a two-storey service wing attached to the east side. Now in ruins and overgrown. Roof now gone, originally shallow hipped, with a central pair of chimneystacks and a moulded cut stone cornice to the eaves. Moulded cut stone plinth over basement. Constructed of coursed rubble stone with roughcast rendered finish over. Square-headed window openings with cut stone sills and dressed stone surrounds. A number of window openings retain cut stone scrolled brackets supporting entablatures over. Main entrance to the centre of the north elevation, originally having a porch with engaged columns. Set back from road in extensive mature grounds with a complex of outbuildings/stable block (15403306) to the northeast, main entrance gates to the west (15403305), The Cooper Mausoleum (15403304) to the south and sections estate wall (15402625) running around former demesne boundary. Located to the south of Mullingar and to the northwest of Rochfortbridge.
A once grand and refined early nineteenth-century neoclassical country house, which now survives as a picturesque ruin in the rural landscape. It was reputedly remodelled by Sandham Symes (1807-98), c.1860. This house was well-built and proportioned and retains a number of fine cut stone details that hint at its former splendour. This house was built by the Cooper Family (of Markee Castle, Co. Sligo) and may have replaced (or be the extensive remodelling) of an earlier house on or near this site. It was in the ownership of an R. W. Cooper in 1837 and of a Colonel Joshua Henry Cooper c.1870, who owned 1,785 acres in the area at this time. It forms the centerpiece of an interesting and extensive collection of related structures along with the extensive stable block to the northeast (15403306), the curious Cooper Mausoleum (15403304) to the south, the main gates (15403305) to the west and the boundary wall (15402625) surrounding this extensive demesne. This house is now halfway to becoming an archaeological site but is an important architectural and historical document, adding interest to its pleasant rural location.
Irish Historic Houses 