Dowth Hall, near Slane, County Meath
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. 107. “Netterville, V/DEP; Gradwell/LGI1958) A small and extremely elegant mid-C18 house, built for 6th Viscount Netterville; with a two storey front, but with an extra storey fitted in as a mezzanine at the back. The front, of ashlar, is five bay; the lower storey is rusticated; the windows in the upper storey are higher than those below, and have alternate triangular and segmental pediments over them. Urns on roofline; pedimented doorway with Doric columns and frieze. Splendid interior plasterwork, possibly by Robert West, who may in fact have been the architect. Doric frieze in hall. Beautiful rococo decoration on walls and ceiling of drawing room. Dining room ceiling with birds and clouds. Library with simple rococo ceiling and swags on walls. A little way from the hosue is a famous prehistoric burial mound, one of several in the neighbourhood. 6th Viscount Netterville, who was a somewhat eccentric character, used to sit on top of it and “attend” mass by training a telescope on a distant chapel. Dowth Hall was acquired mid-19C by the Gradwell family, who sold it ca 1951. It subsequently became the home of Mr Clifford Cameron.”
https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/14402009/dowth-hall-dowth-co-meath
Detached five-bay two-storey over basement country house, built c.1760, with additional mezzanine to the rear. Hipped slate roof with rendered chimneystacks and ashlar limestone parapets. Ashlar limestone walls with string courses having channelled ashlar to the entrance level. Timber sash windows, with alternating pediments to upper floor. Paired timber panelled doors. Carved limestone porch, comprising columns supporting entablature and pediment, approached by flight of limestone steps. Conservatory, c.1900, attached to south elevation. Outbuildings to north elevation.
Appraisal
This house was built by the sixth Viscount Netterville, and is a well designed building, which is representative of mid eighteenth-century architecture in Ireland. The building is articulated with ashlar limestone dressings, with channelling to the entrance level, string courses and alternating pediments to upper floor. The building retains many interesting features and materials, such as the slate roof, timber sash windows and timber conservatory. The building retains fine interior features, which have been attributed to Robert West.
Record of Protected Structures:
Dowth Hall, townland: Dowth.
Detached five-bay two-storey over basement country house, built c.1730. Conservatory, c.1900, attached to south elevation. Outbuildings to north elevation. Incl Stables and Gate lodge
https://archiseek.com/2014/1760-dowth-hall-co-meath
1760 – Dowth Hall, Co. Meath
Architect: George Darley
Dowth Hall dates from c.1760 and was built for John, Viscount Netterville (1744-1826), and probably designed by George Darley. According to theirishaesthete.com: “The real delight of Dowth lies in its extravagantly decorated interiors, where a master stuccadore has been allowed free hand. The drawing room (originally dining room) is especially fanciful with rococo scrolls and tendrils covering wall panels and the ceiling’s central light fitting suspended from the claws of an eagle around which flutter other birds. None of the other ground floor rooms quite match this boldness but they all contain superlative plaster ornamentation, with looped garlands being a notable feature of the library. Again, the person responsible for this work is unknown, but on the basis of comparative similarities with contemporary stuccowork at 86 St Stephen’s Green in Dublin (on which George Darley is supposed to have worked) Dowth Hall’s decoration is usually attributed to Robert West (died 1790).”
featured in Georgian Mansions in Ireland with some account of the evolution af Georgian Architecture and Decoration by Thomas U. Sadleir and Page L. Dickinson. Dublin University Press, 1915. P. 61
“This is a plain, square mansion, with cut stone front, situated in County Meath, some four miles to the west of Drogheda, on the southern bank of the River Boyne. The hall is large, with grand stairs in three flights, ending on the first floor. The ceiling is without ornament, with Doric frieze, and all the doors have broken architraves, in which the principal feature is the cast iron stove, a nice specimen of Georgian workmanship, bearing what appears to be intended for the arms of the fifth Viscount Netterville and his wife, though, being of Continental manufacture, the heraldry is wrong and exhibits unmistakenly foreign characteristics. The door on the extreme right admits to the dining-room, which has a carved wood mantel, the ceiling being in free rococo, with a cornice of five enrichments.
“a remarkable display of rococo plaster is to be found in the drawing room, also on this floor, both walls and ceiling being quite covered with graceful scrolls and swags. ..There is a siena and white marble mantel, which, like the joinery, would appear to be original. To the left is the library, a small room, with rococo frieze, carved wood mantel, and mural decoration in festoons.
As regards the upstairs portion of the house, two of the bedrooms have ceilings slightly decorated in heavy relief, while one has the Bossi mantel and the original brass grate, set in white marble…
“Dowth is the ancient home of the Anglo-Norman family of Netterville, the estate, according to Burke’s “Visitation of Seats and Arms” being granted to them by Hugh de Lacy, Lord Justice of Ireland. [p. 62] Sir John Netterville was resident here in the thirteenth century, and from his descended a long line of owners. Several of the family were distinguished as lawyers, John Netterville of Dowth being a Justice of the King’s Bench, as was also his youngest son, Thomas, while Lucas Netterville was appointed second Justice of the Queen’s Bench in 1559.
“On 3rd April 1622 Nicholas Netterville, the then head of this ancient house,… was raised to the peerage of Ireland as Viscount Netterville of Dowth. In 1641, on the breaking out of the rebellion, he made protestations to the Crown, and expressed his readiness to assist in suppressing it; but, his offers of service being rejected, he took offence, and soon after joined the Confederates. As a result of this action he was deprived of his estates, and on 17 Nov 1642, declared an outlaw. Ten years later he was excepted from pardon by Cromwell’s Government.
“Sir John Netterville, Knight, who succeeded as second Viscount on his father’s decease in 1655, was for some time a prisoner in Dublin Castle, charged with treason, but obtained his liberty by sending a petition to the king. In this he stated that he had been living at Dowth when the insurrection broke out, and that during the siege of Drogheda by the rebels large parties of them more than once forced their way into his dwelling, and resided there against his will, so that he had been unjustly condemned for harbouring rebels in his house, since he had been unable to keep them out. He married, in 1623, Lady Elizabeth Weston, eldest daughter of Richard, Earl of Portland, who, being an Englishwoman, obtained an order under the Commonwealth to enjoy a fifth part of the revenues of her husband’s forfeited estates, and having no other place of residence, was permitted to remain in possession of Dowth. Lord Netterville [p. 63] died in Sept 1659, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Nicholas, the third Viscount, who, failing to obtain restitution of his estates at the Restoration, went to England and laid his case before the King, who was pleased to have it enacted by the Act of Explanation that he should be reinstated in all the lands and property, spiritual livings, tithes, rectories, and parsonages excepted, which had been enjoyed by the late lord or his father on the outbreak of the rebellion, to hold the same as if he had been adjudged innocent, and that he should be restored in blood to all intents and purposes. Notwithstanding, he was only able to regain possession of the fifth part previously held by his mother, for which he passed patent on 18 June 1666. Charles II also granted him a pension, which he retained under his successor, James II, who was pleased to appoint him a Privy Councillor in Ireland. He served in the Jacobite army at the siege of Derry, where he had the misfortune to be taken prisoner on 8th May 1689, and died soon afterwards… Some month later, however, he was found guilty of high treason before the Grand Jury of County Westmeath, and in consequence declared an outlaw; but, on a petition lodged by his children showing that he had in fact died before the indictment, his attainder was annulled.
“John, fourth Lord Netterville, who was a minor and at school on the Continent at the time of his father’s death, returned to Ireland, while still under age, in 1692. On 19 Jan 1715, he took the Oath of Allegiance in the Irish House of Lords, but declined to make the Declaration, and was accordingly debarred from taking his seat, and ordered to withdraw. On 30 May 1704, he married the Hon. Frances Parsons, eldest daughter of Richard, Viscount Rosse, by whom he had an only son.
Lord Netterville died of fever at Liege, in Flanders, on 12 Dec 1727, aged 54, and was buried in the Convent of Nuns there.
Nicholas, the fifth Viscount, who then succeeded his father in the title and at Dowth, spent two years at the university of Utrecht, returning to Ireland in Aug 1728, and, having conformed to the Established Church, took his seat in the Houes of Lords the following year. He married on 25 Feb 1731, Catherine, only daughter of Samuel Burton, of Burton Hall, Co Carlow, being described at the time as “a fool and a fop, but a lord with a tolerable estate.” [Autobiography and Correspondence of Mary Granville, Mrs Delany, vol. 1, p. 338]. On 1 Aug 1743, he was indicted for the murder of Michael Walsh, but after a trial, lasting fifteen hours, in the following February he was honourably acquitted by his peers. He died on 19 March 1750, aged 42, and was buried at Dowth. He is stated to have left £1000 per annum [p.64] and £5000 personalty, so that his only son John, sixth Viscount Netterville, who did not attain his majority till 1765, found himself in a more affluent position than most of his predecessors. He was some time an Ensign in the 122nd Regiment of Foot. On leaving the service, he settled at Dowth, where about 1780 he erected the present mansion. He appears, however, to have only resided there for a short period, and in or before 1812 he let the house and demesne to Roger Hamill, of Drogheda, for a term of 31 years, at £300 per annum.
“Lord Netterville never married, and on his death, 15 March 1826, the Viscountcy became dormant. By his will the old castle at Dowth, which in 1812, though somewhat ruinous, was still habitable, was fitted up as an Alms House for six aged women and six orphan boys, and for their support and the maintenance of a school he devised 60 acres of land. He also left his house in Blackhall Street, Dublin, which he had purchased in 1795 on disposing of his father’s residence in Sackville St, as a dispensary for the benefit of the poor. From 1826, and until he was dispossessed under a decree in Chancery, dated 19 June 1835, Dowth was occupied by John Netterville Blake, grandson of the last Lord’s only sister.
“His kinsman, James Netterville, succeeded as seventh Viscount by a decision of the House of Lords on 14 Aug 1834, but, although he obtained possession of the estates settled by his predecessor, he had lost so much money in establishing his claim to the peerage that the property became heavily mortgaged. It was finally sold in 1845 by the Court of Chancery, the purchaser being Richard Gradwell, a Lancashire gentleman, father of Robert B.G.A. Gradwell, Esq, the present proprietor.”
https://theirishaesthete.com/tag/dowth-hall/
Located midway between Slane and Drogheda, and immediately north of the river Boyne Dowth is today known as the site of one of a number of important Neolithic passage tombs in County Meath, others in its immediate vicinity including Newgrange and Knowth. But Dowth deserves to be renowned also for an important mid-18th century house which is due to be auctioned at the end of January.
Dowth Hall dates from c.1760 and was built for John, Viscount Netterville (1744-1826). His family, of Anglo-Norman origin, had been settled in the area since at least the 12th century: in 1217 Luke Netterville was selected to be Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. That religious streak remained with them and come the 16th century Reformation the Nettervilles remained determinedly Roman Catholic. For this adherence some of them suffered greatly; when Drogheda fell to Oliver Cromwell in September 1649 the Jesuit priest Robert Netterville was captured and tortured, subsequently dying of the injuries sustained. Nevertheless, the Nettervilles survived, and even acquired a viscouncy. They also held onto their estates, one of a number of families – the Plunketts of Killeen Castle and the Prestons of Gormanston spring to mind – who retained both their religious faith and their lands, thereby disproving the idea that Catholics automatically suffered displacement during the Penal era.
The sixth Viscount was only aged six on the death of his father, the latter dismissed by Mrs Delaney as ‘A fop and a fool, but a lord with a tolerable estate, who always wears fine clothes’ and otherwise only notable for having been indicted the year before his son’s birth for the murder of a valet (he was afterwards honourably acquitted by the House of Lords).
The young Lord Netterville was raised by his widowed mother and spent much time in Dublin where the family owned a fine house at 29 Upper Sackville (now O’Connell) Street. The old castle in Dowth seems to have fallen into ruin and so a few years after coming of age Viscount Netterville undertook to construct a new house on his Meath estate.
As is so often the case, information about the architect responsible for Dowth Hall is scanty. The common supposition is that the building was designed by George Darley (1730-1817), who had been employed for this purpose by Lord Netterville in Dublin where he was also the architect of a number of other houses. And indeed from the exterior Dowth Hall, rusticated limestone ground floor and tall ashlar first floor with windows alternately topped by triangular and segmental pediments, looks like an Italianate town palazzo transported into the Irish countryside; not least thanks to its plain sides, the house seems more attuned to the streets of Milan than the rich pasturelands of Meath.
The real delight of Dowth lies in its extravagantly decorated interiors, where a master stuccadore has been allowed free hand. The drawing room (originally dining room) is especially fanciful with rococo scrolls and tendrils covering wall panels and the ceiling’s central light fitting suspended from the claws of an eagle around which flutter other birds. None of the other ground floor rooms quite match this boldness but they all contain superlative plaster ornamentation, with looped garlands being a notable feature of the library. Again, the person responsible for this work is unknown, but on the basis of comparative similarities with contemporary stuccowork at 86 St Stephen’s Green in Dublin (on which George Darley is supposed to have worked) Dowth Hall’s decoration is usually attributed to Robert West (died 1790).
Although not as extensive, there is even a certain amount of plasterwork decoration in the main bedrooms on the first floor, which is most unusual. And the house still retains its original chimneypieces (that in the entrance hall even has its Georgian basket grate), along with fine panelled doors and other elements from the property’s original construction. This makes it of enormous importance, since many other similar buildings underwent refurbishment and modernisation in the 19th century during which they lost older features.
There are reasons why Dowth Hall has survived almost unaltered since first built 250 years ago. The sixth Viscount Netterville, somewhat eccentric, fell into dispute with the local priest and was banned from the chapel on his own land; in retaliation, he built a ‘tea house’ on top of the Neolithic tomb from which he claimed to follow religious services through a telescope. But then he seems to have given up living at Dowth and moved back to Dublin. He never married and on dying at the age of 82 left a will with no less than nine codicils. One of these insisted that the Dowth estate go to whoever inherited the title, but it took eight years and a lot of litigation for the rightful heir, a distant cousin, to establish his claim. He did so at considerable cost and so, despite marrying an heiress, was obliged to offer Dowth for sale; the last Lord Netterville, another remote cousin, died also without heirs in 1882 and the title became extinct. Meanwhile Dowth was finally bought from the Chancery Court in 1850 by Richard Gradwell, younger son of a wealthy Catholic family from Lancashire. His heirs continued to live in the house for a century, but then sold up in the early 1950s when the place changed hands again. It did so one more time around twenty years later when acquired by two local bachelor farmers who moved into Dowth Hall. Following their respective deaths (the second at the start of last year), a local newspaper reported that the siblings had gone ‘to Drogheda every Saturday night, would attend the Fatima novena at 7.30pm then would walk over West Street to see what was going on, although they never took a drink or went to pubs.’
Now Dowth Hall is for sale, and there must be concern that it finds a sympathetic new owner because the house is in need of serious attention. It comes with some 420 acres of agricultural land, which means a sale is assured but that could be to the building’s disadvantage: it might fall into further desuetude if the farm alone was of interest to a purchaser. Too many instances of this have occurred in the past and it must not be allowed to happen here. One feels there ought to be some kind of vetting process to ensure prospective buyers demonstrate sufficient appreciation of the house. Only somebody with the same vision and flair as the sixth Lord Netterville should be permitted to acquire Dowth Hall.
This last image is taken from Georgian Mansions in Ireland by Thomas Sadleir and Page Dickinson published in 1915.
https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/14402009/dowth-hall-dowth-county-meath
Detached five-bay two-storey over basement country house, built c.1760, with additional mezzanine to the rear. Hipped slate roof with rendered chimneystacks and ashlar limestone parapets. Ashlar limestone walls with string courses having channelled ashlar to the entrance level. Timber sash windows, with alternating pediments to upper floor. Paired timber panelled doors. Carved limestone porch, comprising columns supporting entablature and pediment, approached by flight of limestone steps. Conservatory, c.1900, attached to south elevation. Outbuildings to north elevation
Appraisal
This house was built by the sixth Viscount Netterville, and is a well designed building, which is representative of mid eighteenth-century architecture in Ireland. The building is articulated with ashlar limestone dressings, with channelling to the entrance level, string courses and alternating pediments to upper floor. The building retains many interesting features and materials, such as the slate roof, timber sash windows and timber conservatory. The building retains fine interior features, which have been attributed to Robert West.
http://ladynicci.com/history/visit-dowth-hall-boyne-valley-meath/
My novel is called December Girl and is set in Dowth, Drogheda and London. It’s inspired by the true story of an eviction that took place at Dowth in 1880 – and follows the life of fictional character Molly Thomas, who sees herself caught up in a web of murder, prostitution and the loss of her child, in her quest to come home.
Located midway between Slane and Drogheda, and immediately north of the river Boyne Dowth is today known as the site of one of a number of important Neolithic passage tombs in County Meath, others in its immediate vicinity including Newgrange and Knowth. But Dowth deserves to be renowned also for an important mid-18th century house which is due to be auctioned at the end of January.
Dowth Hall dates from c.1760 and was built for John, Viscount Netterville (1744-1826). His family, of Anglo-Norman origin, had been settled in the area since at least the 12th century: in 1217 Luke Netterville was selected to be Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. That religious streak remained with them and come the 16th century Reformation the Nettervilles remained determinedly Roman Catholic. For this adherence some of them suffered greatly; when Drogheda fell to Oliver Cromwell in September 1649 the Jesuit priest Robert Netterville was captured and tortured, subsequently dying of the injuries sustained. Nevertheless, the Nettervilles survived, and even acquired a viscouncy. They also held onto their estates, one of a number of families – the Plunketts of Killeen Castle and the Prestons of Gormanston spring to mind – who retained both their religious faith and their lands, thereby disproving the idea that Catholics automatically suffered displacement during the Penal era.
The sixth Viscount was only aged six on the death of his father, the latter dismissed by Mrs Delaney as ‘A fop and a fool, but a lord with a tolerable estate, who always wears fine clothes’ and otherwise only notable for having been indicted the year before his son’s birth for the murder of a valet (he was afterwards honourably acquitted by the House of Lords).
The young Lord Netterville was raised by his widowed mother and spent much time in Dublin where the family owned a fine house at 29 Upper Sackville (now O’Connell) Street. The old castle in Dowth seems to have fallen into ruin and so a few years after coming of age Viscount Netterville undertook to construct a new house on his Meath estate.
As is so often the case, information about the architect responsible for Dowth Hall is scanty. The common supposition is that the building was designed by George Darley (1730-1817), who had been employed for this purpose by Lord Netterville in Dublin where he was also the architect of a number of other houses. And indeed from the exterior Dowth Hall, rusticated limestone ground floor and tall ashlar first floor with windows alternately topped by triangular and segmental pediments, looks like an Italianate town palazzo transported into the Irish countryside; not least thanks to its plain sides, the house seems more attuned to the streets of Milan than the rich pasturelands of Meath.
The real delight of Dowth lies in its extravagantly decorated interiors, where a master stuccadore has been allowed free hand. The drawing room (originally dining room) is especially fanciful with rococo scrolls and tendrils covering wall panels and the ceiling’s central light fitting suspended from the claws of an eagle around which flutter other birds. None of the other ground floor rooms quite match this boldness but they all contain superlative plaster ornamentation, with looped garlands being a notable feature of the library. Again, the person responsible for this work is unknown, but on the basis of comparative similarities with contemporary stuccowork at 86 St Stephen’s Green in Dublin (on which George Darley is supposed to have worked) Dowth Hall’s decoration is usually attributed to Robert West (died 1790).
Although not as extensive, there is even a certain amount of plasterwork decoration in the main bedrooms on the first floor, which is most unusual. And the house still retains its original chimneypieces (that in the entrance hall even has its Georgian basket grate), along with fine panelled doors and other elements from the property’s original construction. This makes it of enormous importance, since many other similar buildings underwent refurbishment and modernisation in the 19th century during which they lost older features.
There are reasons why Dowth Hall has survived almost unaltered since first built 250 years ago. The sixth Viscount Netterville, somewhat eccentric, fell into dispute with the local priest and was banned from the chapel on his own land; in retaliation, he built a ‘tea house’ on top of the Neolithic tomb from which he claimed to follow religious services through a telescope. But then he seems to have given up living at Dowth and moved back to Dublin. He never married and on dying at the age of 82 left a will with no less than nine codicils. One of these insisted that the Dowth estate go to whoever inherited the title, but it took eight years and a lot of litigation for the rightful heir, a distant cousin, to establish his claim. He did so at considerable cost and so, despite marrying an heiress, was obliged to offer Dowth for sale; the last Lord Netterville, another remote cousin, died also without heirs in 1882 and the title became extinct. Meanwhile Dowth was finally bought from the Chancery Court in 1850 by Richard Gradwell, younger son of a wealthy Catholic family from Lancashire. His heirs continued to live in the house for a century, but then sold up in the early 1950s when the place changed hands again. It did so one more time around twenty years later when acquired by two local bachelor farmers who moved into Dowth Hall. Following their respective deaths (the second at the start of last year), a local newspaper reported that the siblings had gone ‘to Drogheda every Saturday night, would attend the Fatima novena at 7.30pm then would walk over West Street to see what was going on, although they never took a drink or went to pubs.’
Now Dowth Hall is for sale, and there must be concern that it finds a sympathetic new owner because the house is in need of serious attention. It comes with some 420 acres of agricultural land, which means a sale is assured but that could be to the building’s disadvantage: it might fall into further desuetude if the farm alone was of interest to a purchaser. Too many instances of this have occurred in the past and it must not be allowed to happen here. One feels there ought to be some kind of vetting process to ensure prospective buyers demonstrate sufficient appreciation of the house. Only somebody with the same vision and flair as the sixth Lord Netterville should be permitted to acquire Dowth Hall.
This last image is taken from Georgian Mansions in Ireland by Thomas Sadleir and Page Dickinson published in 1915.
For those of you who have been concerned about the future of Dowth Hall (see my piece Netterville! Netterville! Where Have You Been? on December 24th last), the estate was sold at auction yesterday. Seemingly there were three interested bidders, the buyer is Irish and paid €5 million for Dowth and surrounding 420 acres (a considerably higher figure than the €3.75m guide price). A lot more will need to be spent if the house, with its ravishing rococo plasterwork, is to be brought back to good condition. Let us hope the new owner is prepared to undertake this task…
*On Thursday February 7th The Irish Times reported that Dowth’s new owner is a County Meath resident, Owen Brennan, who owns a successful agri-technology business.
Dowth Hall is located to the east of Slane, near Dowth passage grave. Dowth Hall may have been designed by Robert West or George Darley. The plasterwork is similar to that of Newman House in St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin. The drawing room has a remarkable display of plasterwork. The entrance hall is large with a grand staircase. The joinery is similar to Dunboyne Castle. Bence–Jones described Dowth Hall as ‘a small and extremely elegant mid-eighteenth century house.’ The splendid interior plasterwork was possibly by Robert West who may also have been the architect according to Bence-Jones. Mulligan also suggested West for the plasterwork but says that George Darley is more likely as architect.
A conservatory with views to the west was added to the two-storey over basement house. A range of stables, set out around a central courtyard, date to 1760. The gate lodge dates to about 1830.
An ornamental temple erected on top of Dowth mound allowed Lord Netterville to attend Mass at the nearby chapel without actually being in the building. He could not then be accused of being a Catholic and having his lands confiscated.
The Nettervilles were the lords of Dowth from the fourteenth century and lived at Dowth Castle to the west of the present house. Nicholas Netterville was created Viscount Netterville of dowth in 1622 by James I. Nicholas Netterville, the fifth viscount, succeeded to the title following the death of his Catholic father in 1727. He conformed to the State religion and took his seat in the House of Lords in 1729. In 1731 Nicholas married Catherine Burton of Burton Hall, Carlow. He was described at the time as a ‘fool and a fop, but a lord with a tolerable estate.’ In 1743 he was indicted for murder but acquitted the following year. The mansion was erected before 1731 and the demesne was created over the following twenty years. The new house was partitioned from the old castle, church and tumulus by a plantation of trees. To the east of the house stands a large embanked enclosure. So much funds were expended on the house and demesne that the Nettervilles had to sell off some of their lands in Westmeath and put some of the Dowth lands into trusteeship. It would appear that this house lasted for about fifty years with a new house or a complete renovation taking place fifty years later about 1780.
Dowth House was erected about 1780 by John 6th Viscount Netterville. His father had been tried by the Irish House of Lords for murder and found innocent. He settled at Dowth after leaving the army. George Darley is believed to be the architect as he designed the Netterville townhouse in Dublin in 1767. In 1812 he let the house and demesne to Roger Hamill for a term of 31 years. In the same year he made his will leaving Dowth to a charity for six poor widows and six poor orphan boys. He died unmarried in 1826. His successor, a distant cousin, James had to take a case to the House of Lords to secure the title. As a result of the cost of court cases in order to secure the title Netterville was forced to sell Dowth in 1845.
In 1835 Dowth was occupied by Mr. Blake. A racecourse was developed at the east end of the demesne but it was dangerous as there was a sheer drop into a limestone quarry. The house was described as a modern three-storey slated house with a demesne of 259 acres. The house and demesne were not in a good state as a result of the ongoing legal dispute. In the south end of the demesne was a deerpark. The demesne also included the Neolithic tomb of Dowth.
Richard Gradwell purchased the house in 1845. The Gradwells originally came from Preston but also held lands at Carlanstown, Co. Westmeath. The family also held Mullaghmean, now a forestry plantation on the borders of Meath and Westmeath. His older brother, John Joseph Gradwell, purchased nearby Platten Hall about 1870.
Richard married Maria Theresa, eldest daughter of James McEvoy of Tobertynan House in 1852. In 1876 Richard Gradwell of Dowth Hall held 845 acres in County Meath and 3169 acres in Westmeath. Richard Gradwell died 1884 aged 60 years and was buried in the vault in St. Andrew’s Church, Westland row, Dublin. Maria Gradwell of Dowth Hall died in 1914 aged 88 and she too was buried in the vault in St. Andrew’s Church, Westland row, Dublin. Richard was succeeded by his son, Robert, who was appointed High Sheriff of Meath in 1892. Robert married Lady Henrietta Plunkett, daughter of the Earl of Fingal in 1884.
Robert died without an heir in 1935 and the property went to his cousin, Francis Gradwell of Beltichburn House, Drogheda, who was living in the house in 1941.
The house was sold about 1951 to Clifford Cameron family and then the Pidgeon family purchased the property.
For sale April 2023 A92 T2T7
Dowth Hall & Farm On C. 368 Acres, Dowth, Co. Meath
7 beds970 m2
https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/dowth-hall-farm-on-c-368-acres-dowth-co-meath/4697284
€6,000,000
With 6000 years of documented history and now home to ground-breaking food production research, Dowth Hall is a significant approx. 148 Hectares (368 Acre) Estate with the option of purchasing Netterville Manor and up to a further approx. 74 Hectares (184 Acres) of rolling lands and lush woodland with a breath-taking backdrop of the Boyne River and Valley in the heart of County Meath and within easy commute of Dublin City Centre. SPECIAL FEATURES • Approx. 148 Hectares (368 Acre) Estate with the option of purchasing Netterville Manor and up to a further approx. 74 Hectares (184 Acres) of rolling lands and lush woodland. • 2.59km of frontage onto the River Boyne, with private access and fishing rights to the river. • Historic 18th Century Georgian Country residence at the focal point of the Estate. • 7 bedrooms and 5 reception rooms extending to approx. 970 sq.m (10,440 sq.ft) • 1 of 12 exemplary sustainable farms worldwide, the Global Network of Lighthouse Farms • Productive lands suitable for several uses such as grazing or tillage. • Beautiful old walled garden, stables and 5 additional houses surrounding the main house. • Located just outside the historic town of Drogheda and village of Slane in the heart of County Meath • Approx. 47km from Dublin International Airport • Excellent road network throughout the lands • Lands very well laid out with the majority newly fenced and secure • Spectacular views over Newgrange Stone Age Passage Tomb • Full planning permission for the restoration of the Main Residence • Private grass airstrip on land directly adjacent to estate DESCRIPTION ONE OF THE OLDEST FARMS IN THE WORLD Ancient farming and civilisation at its genesis can be found at Dowth, dating back 6000 years ago. The 368 acres of roaming pasturelands and mystifying woodland are bounded by the River Boyne, with Dowth Hall at the focal point of the estate. Situated less than fifty-five kilometres from Dublin, Dowth is a rare architectural example of excellence in prehistoric architectural preservation with a stunning backdrop of the Boyne Valley and surrounding countryside a rare commodity on the market these days. The transformation from the Mesolithic period, characterised by hunter gatherers, to Neolithic farmers happened around 6,000 years ago in Ireland. For the first time settlements remained in permanent locations formed by farming communities. The three principal megalithic passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth dating from 5,500 years ago, that together form the world-renowned Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage Site, are a testament to the success of these first Irish farmers and the fertility of the rich Boyne Valley soil. Dowth Hall sits regally on the highest point on the estate, looking out over the spectacular Boyne Valley, a rich and royal landscape. Built in 1745, this 18th century country pile is the perfect example of a Georgian Country house. Whilst the historic finds around the house have been the centre of attention at Dowth, this period residence tells a story in itself and the owners have lovingly preserved and readied the structure for a full restoration. LOCATION Dowth is located between the townlands of Slane and Drogheda in County Meath which is named ‘The Royal County’ due to its history as the seat of the High King of Ireland. Meath was formed from the eastern part of the former Kingdom of Mide but now forms part of the province of Leinster. The seat of the High King of Ireland was located at Tara Hill which, is only some 10 km / 6 miles from Navan. Slane is a beautiful village and rich in history and is very well known throughout the world for the renowned concerts that Slane Castle holds regularly and now is also known for Slane Castle Whiskey. The Castle is the focal point of the village and attracts many tourists into the area creating a vibrant atmosphere all year round. The Conyngham Arms Hotel, Inside Out Restaurant and Village Inn are great spots for a bite to eat and the local bakery, Georges Patisserie is a popular spot for breakfast. Slane village stands on a steep hillside on the left bank of the River Boyne at the intersection of the N2 (Dublin to Monaghan Road) and the N51 (Drogheda to Navan road). Coming into the village from Dublin you pass over a beautiful stone bridge that goes over the River Boyne with the Old Mill to the right making it one of the most picturesque settings for entering a village in Ireland. The village centre dates from the 18th century. The village and surrounding area contain many historic sites dating back over 5,000 years. Drogheda is approx. a 10-minute drive and is known for its heritage, an active arts and culture scene and for shopping with both an attractive main street and two retail parks on its outskirts. County Meath is home to Fairyhouse Racecourse, Navan Racecourse, Bellewstown Racecourse and of course, Tattersalls Ireland. Nearby, for almost over one hundred and fifty years, the annual races are held on the strand at Laytown. County Meath is proud of it’s Horse Racing heritage and is the only county in Ireland with 4 racetracks. There are several excellent golf courses in Co. Meath. Killeen Castle, only a 35-minute drive, with its highly regarded Jack Nicklaus Signature Design 18 hole Championship golf course that hosted the 2011 Solheim Cup as well as the Ladies Irish Open from 2010 until 2012. Baltray Golf Course is a mere 25-minute drive from Dowth, famous for hosting the Irish Open in 2004 and 2009. With central Dublin only 55km away, the M1 and M2 (N2) offer a convenient route to the city. Dublin airport is a 35-minute drive. Access by helicopter is possible, co-ordinates available upon request • 8.5 km to the Slane • 9 km to Drogheda • 13.5 km to Duleek • 23 km to Navan • 38 km to Dundalk • 54 km to Dublin • 47 km to Dublin Airport
BRÚ NA BÓINNE Bounded on the south by a bend in the River Boyne, the prehistoric site of Brú na Bóinne is dominated by the three great burial mounds of Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth. Surrounded by around forty satellite passage tombs, they form a burial landscape recognized for its high ceremonial value, drawing later monuments from the Iron Age, early Christian, and medieval eras. The site is some 55 kilometres from Dublin, on a hill between the rivers Boyne and Mattock, and is surrounded by other prehistoric mounds. It is part of a region rich in tales about Ireland’s ancient history. The region, which is primarily agricultural at the moment, has been intensively examined by archaeologists and historians for more than a century, with excavation revealng several peculiarities and features. To give a brief history, the Knowth group, whose earliest features date from the Neolithic period and the most recent from the Anglo-Norman period, has produced thirty monuments and sites that are included in the official inventory, including petroglyph-adorned passage graves, enclosures, occupation sites, and field systems. With a ringfort, cursus, passage burials, and a now infamous henge, the Newgrange complex is entirely prehistoric. The Dowth group is comparable to Newgrange, but also has medieval remains in the shape of a church and a fortress. Dowth Hall is the largest land holding within the core area of the Unesco World Heritage site that is Brú Na Bóinne
DOWTH HALL Dowth Hall Estate is a significant country estate steeped in history through the centuries. At it’s heart is Dowth Hall – a true 4 bay, 3 storey over basement Georgian country house. Dating from 1745, this regal home was built by the 6th Viscount of Netterville. Thanks to the present owners, the home is in fine shape for a thorough restoration and will soon be restored to its former splendour. The main house is a substantial structure, a magnificent example of its era. Common belief holds that Lord Netterville employed the most renowned architect at the time, George Darley to design this country pile. Darley’s designs are also characteristically linked to the Tholsel building in Drogheda and to Dunboyne Castle, a mere 50 kilometres away. The formal front façade is treated with dressed Ardbraccan limestone, similar to Leinster House, the 1921 Custom House restoration and of course Ardbraccan House. The rest of the building is built in brick and treated minimally. Through the front door, the entrance hall features an ornate fireplace and a majestic staircase with further draws your eye to the striking coving designs. The principal reception rooms comprise of a drawing room, dining room and library, all light filled rooms with high ceilings. The drawing room in particular features special rococo stuccowork covering the wall panels. The ceiling boasts a light fitting suspended from the claws of an eagle, surrounded by smaller birds. The remaining rooms on the ground floor also boasts ornate plasterwork. The stuccodore attributed to this work in Dowth Hall is not confirmed, but rather speculated to be Robert West. The similarity in contemporary stuccowork at the Newman House, 86 St. Stephens Green is striking, on which George Darley supposedly worked on. George Darley’s designs were frequently complemented by Robert West’s work and not to mention, Robert West’s designs were flamboyant in design and frequently featured birds thanks to his passion for ornithology, all of which are characteristically present at Dowth Hall. The first floor with the higher elevation offering magnificent vantage points of the surrounding royal countryside in all its wonder. There are three principal bedrooms on the first floor, one of which is to the front of the house and two are to the rear. The layout could lend itself to allow for a larger master bedroom suite with living area, bathroom and a guest bedroom suite with bathrooms. The remaining four bedrooms are on the second floor. The basement features high ceilings, not a common occurrence in Georgian style abodes. Thus, the basement is bright in areas and provides an opportunity for additional living space on this floor. Two private drives lead to Dowth Hall the shorter North drive bringing you to the north side where a quaint courtyard lies to the side of the Hall. The longer, formal carriage drive takes you firstly through a restored Lime Tree quadrant in the racecourse field and further through the estate to the Georgian front facing east. The Courtyard cottage and stables have planning permission for renovations. The East gate lodge, West gate lodge, Redbrick Cottage, and Chapel House have potential to be renovated to provide further accommodation, subject to full planning permission from the local county council. The walled garden is vast in size and is ready to be planted, rejuvenated and reinstated to its former glory. LANDS AT DOWTH County Meath is dominated and characterised by both the quality of its agricultural land and its status as the heart of historical importance in Ireland. The ancient site of Newgrange is in sight, with Knowth and the Hilof Tara also in close proximity. The gardens and grounds at Dowth hold as much historic interest as the house and have a rich botanical and architectural story to tell. Home to Irelands first farmers some 6000 years ago, the Lands at Dowth have been exemplary to the farming industry in recent years thanks to Devenish Nutrition who are helping to shape sustainable farming and food production for the future. Devenish Nutrition have been operating at ‘Lands at Dowth’ Global Lighthouse Farm, striving to produce zercarbon beef and lamb by developing a dynamic and healthy ecosystem. The Devenish strategy ‘One Health,from Soil to Society’ emphasises the importance of maximising nutrient uptake in soil, plants, animals and the environment as key and interconnected components of the value foodchain. Their HeartLand project in particular has caught the attention of many. This project has been developed to create economically and environmentalsustainable livestock products of enhanced nutritional value through pasture-based production systems. Theused 36 hectares of land (86 Acres) in Dowth, splitting the lands into pastures with different grazing swards TECHNICAL INFORMAT IONServices and Features | The property is serviced by mains electricity, well water and drainage is to septic tanks within the grounds.Tenure and Possession | The property is offered for sale freehold by private treaty with vacant possession being given at the closing of the sale.Local Authority & Protected Status | Record of Protected Structures within World Heritage site Meath County Council AreaMH020-107 – Dowth Hall, Dowth – Detached five-bay two-storey over basement country house, built c.1765. Conservatory, c.1900. Outbuildings to north elevation. Incl Stables and Gate lodgeMapping And Rights Of Way | The property is offered for sale subject to and with the benefit of all matters and rights of way contained in or referred to in the Deeds.Building Energy Rating (BER) | • East Gate Lodge Exempt• West Gate Lodge Exempt• Redbrick Cottage Exempt• Courtyard Cottage Exempt• Chapel House – ExemptViewing Strictly By Appointment Only
Accommodation
BER Details
Exempt
Negotiator
Philip Guckian
https://theirishaesthete.com/2023/05/01/dowth/
Second Time Around
Dowth Hall, County Meath was first discussed here in December 2012, when the house and surrounding land were offered for sale. Now, more than a decade later, the place has come back on the market. Below is the original text, along with fresh photographs of Dowth Hall taken in recent weeks.
Located midway between Slane and Drogheda, and immediately north of the river Boyne, Dowth is today known as the site of one of a number of important Neolithic passage tombs in County Meath, others in its immediate vicinity including Newgrange and Knowth. But Dowth deserves to be renowned also for an important mid-18th century house. Dowth Hall dates from c.1760 and was built for John, Viscount Netterville (1744-1826). His family, of Anglo-Norman origin, had been settled in the area since at least the 12th century: in 1217 Luke Netterville was selected to be Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. That religious streak remained with them and come the 16th century Reformation, the Nettervilles remained determinedly Roman Catholic. For this adherence some of them suffered greatly; when Drogheda fell to Oliver Cromwell in September 1649 the Jesuit priest Robert Netterville was captured and tortured, subsequently dying of the injuries sustained. Nevertheless, the Nettervilles survived, and even acquired a viscountcy. They also held onto their estates, one of a number of families – the Plunketts of Killeen Castle and the Prestons of Gormanston spring to mind – who retained both their religious faith and their lands, thereby disproving the idea that all Catholics automatically suffered displacement during the Penal era.
The sixth Viscount was only aged six on the death of his father, the latter dismissed by Mrs Delaney as ‘A fop and a fool, but a lord with a tolerable estate, who always wears fine clothes’ and otherwise only notable for having been indicted the year before his son’s birth for the murder of a valet (he was afterwards honourably acquitted by the House of Lords). The young Lord Netterville was raised by his widowed mother and spent much time in Dublin where the family owned a fine house at 29 Upper Sackville (now O’Connell) Street. The old castle in Dowth seems to have fallen into ruin and so, a few years after coming of age, Viscount Netterville undertook to construct a new house on his Meath estate. As is so often the case, information about the architect responsible for Dowth Hall is scanty. The common supposition is that the building was designed by George Darley (1730-1817), who had been employed for this purpose by Lord Netterville in Dublin where he was also the architect of a number of other houses. And indeed, from the exterior Dowth Hall, rusticated limestone ground floor and tall ashlar first floor with windows alternately topped by triangular and segmental pediments, looks like an Italianate town palazzo transported into the Irish countryside; not least thanks to its plain sides, the house seems more attuned to the streets of Milan than to the rich pasturelands of Meath.
The real delight of Dowth lies in its extravagantly decorated interiors, where a master stuccadore has been allowed free hand. The drawing room (originally dining room) is especially fanciful with rococo scrolls and tendrils covering wall panels and the ceiling’s central light fitting suspended from the claws of an eagle around which flutter smaller birds. None of the other ground floor rooms quite match this boldness but they all contain superlative plaster ornamentation, with looped garlands being a notable feature of the library. Again, the person responsible for this work is unknown, but on the basis of comparative similarities with contemporary stuccowork at 86 St Stephen’s Green in Dublin (on which George Darley is supposed to have worked) Dowth Hall’s decoration is usually attributed to Robert West (died 1790). Although not as extensive, there is even a certain amount of plasterwork decoration in the main bedrooms on the first floor, which is most unusual. And the house still retains its original chimneypieces (that in the entrance hall even has its Georgian basket grate), along with fine panelled doors and other elements from the property’s original construction. This makes it of enormous importance, since many other similar buildings underwent refurbishment and modernisation in the 19th century during which they lost older features.
There are reasons why Dowth Hall has survived almost unaltered since first built 250 years ago. The sixth Viscount Netterville, somewhat eccentric, fell into dispute with the local priest and was banned from the chapel on his own land; in retaliation, he built a ‘tea house’ on top of the Neolithic tomb from which he claimed to follow religious services through a telescope. But then he seems to have given up living at Dowth and moved back to Dublin. He never married and on dying at the age of 82 left a will with no less than nine codicils. One of these insisted that the Dowth estate go to whoever inherited the title, but it took eight years and a lot of litigation for the rightful heir, a distant cousin, to establish his claim. He did so at considerable cost and so, despite marrying an heiress, was obliged to offer Dowth for sale; the last Lord Netterville, another remote cousin, again died without heirs in 1882 and the title became extinct. Meanwhile Dowth was finally bought from the Chancery Court in 1850 by Richard Gradwell, younger son of a wealthy Catholic family from Lancashire. His heirs continued to live in the house for a century, but then sold up in the early 1950s when the place again changed hands. It did so one more time around twenty years later when acquired by two local bachelor farmers who moved into Dowth Hall. Following their respective deaths (the second at the start of last year), a local newspaper reported that the siblings had gone to Drogheda ‘every Saturday night, would attend the Fatima novena at 7.30pm then would walk over West Street to see what was going on, although they never took a drink or went to pubs.’ Now Dowth Hall is for sale, and there must be concern that it finds a sympathetic new owner because the house is in need of serious attention. It comes with some 420 acres of agricultural land, which means a sale is assured but that could be to the building’s disadvantage: it might fall into further desuetude if the farm alone was of interest to a purchaser. Too many instances of this have occurred in the past and it must not be allowed to happen here. One feels there ought to be some kind of vetting process to ensure prospective buyers demonstrate sufficient appreciation of the house. Only somebody with the same vision and flair as the sixth Lord Netterville should be permitted to acquire Dowth Hall.
Dowth Hall, along with 420 acres, was sold in January for €5 million. Now with 552 acres, the house is back on the market for €10 million.
Irish Historic Houses 
