Mulvaney, John Skipton (1813-1871)

Pouldrew House, Kilmeadan, Co Waterford 

by jenjunebug

Pouldrew House, Kilmeadan, Co Waterford 

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

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. 234. “A two storey house of 1814 with a six bay front and a pillared porch. Plain but imposing rooms. A seat of the Malcolmson family, who in early C19 founded the great cotton mills at Portlaw, which brought great prosperity to the town.” 

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/22900806/pouldrew-house-gortaclade-co-waterford

Detached six-bay two-storey over basement house, built 1814, with six-bay two-storey side elevations having three-bay two-storey advanced bay to west, and six-bay two-storey rear (north) elevation. Renovated, c.1865, with render façade enrichments added. Hipped slate roofs on a quadrangular plan with rolled lead ridge tiles, rendered chimney stack, and cast-iron rainwater goods on moulded rendered cornice continuing into rendered overhanging eaves. Painted rendered walls with cut-limestone course to basement, rendered strips, c.1865, to corners having quoin motifs, and chamfers to corners. Pseudo three-centre-headed window openings with cut-limestone sills on moulded rendered corbels, rendered ‘block-and-start’ surrounds, c.1865, having keystones and moulded reveals, and replacement 1/1 timber sash windows, c.1865. Square-headed window openings to basement with cut-stone sills, and 2/2 timber sash windows having wrought iron bars. Pseudo three-centre-headed door opening in tripartite arrangement with two cut-limestone steps, rendered tapered pilaster doorcase, c.1865, rendered surround with moulded reveals, glazed timber panelled double doors with overlight, and 1/1 timber sash windows to flanking lights on cut-limestone sills having moulded consoles, and rendered ‘block-and-start’ surrounds, c.1865. Pseudo three-centre-headed door openings to side (east), and to rear (north) elevations with rendered ‘block-and-start’ surrounds, c.1865, having moulded reveals, glazed timber panelled doors and double doors, and overlights. Interior with timber panelled shutters to window openings. Set back from road in own grounds with gravel forecourt, and landscaped grounds to site. (ii) Detached eleven-bay single-storey rubble stone outbuilding with half-attic, built 1814, to west retaining most original fenestration and originally with elliptical-headed carriageway to right ground floor. Renovated, c.1965, with carriageway remodelled. Hipped gabled slate roof with clay ridge tiles, square rooflights, and cast-iron rainwater goods on rendered squared rubble stone eaves. Random rubble stone walls with lime mortar. Square-headed window openings with cut-stone sills, red brick block-and-start surrounds, and 2/2 timber sash windows. Square-headed door openings with red brick block-and-start surrounds, timber lintels, timber boarded doors, and square-headed overlights having cut-stone sills, red brick block-and-start surrounds, and fixed-pane timber fittings. Elliptical-headed carriageway remodelled, c.1965, to accommodate square-headed carriageway with red brick dressings including ‘voussoirs’, and fittings not visible. 

Appraisal 

A well-proportioned, substantial house, built by the Malcomson family in the early nineteenth century, and embellished in the mid to late nineteenth style to designs attributable to John Skipton Mulvany (1813 – 1871). Very well maintained, the house presents an early aspect with important salient features and materials intact, both to the exterior and to the interior. The rendered dressings in particular enliven the external appearance of the composition, and include a distinctive heavy cornice detail to the roof. The survival of an attendant outbuilding in good condition augments the group value of the site, and serves as a tangible reminder of Pouldrew (Corn) Mills once operating on site in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but subsequently demolished. 

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

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

In 1850 Edward Eakers was leasing this property from the Malcolmson estate. The property included part of an extensive mill complex, valued at over £36. It is still extant and occupied.   

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

For sale €1,850,000  

Pouldrew House, Kilmeadan, Co. Waterford

Pouldrew House is one of the most desirable Georgian mansions in Ireland. Palladian in style, built by Viscount Doneraile in the early 1800’s. It is a 2 story over basement structure with a total of 13,000 sq.ft. The property consists of 45 acres of mature woodland, gardens, and a lake fed by the River Dawn. Fully renovated stable block and loft overlooking the waterfall. 

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

This property has all the original Georgian features throughout – sash windows, ceiling cornices, wooden shutters and ceiling roses.  
 
Situated only 7 miles from Waterford City and airport, and less than 2 hours from Dublin or Cork International airports, European cities are only a short flight away. The property is within an hour’s drive from all major golf courses in the region. 
 
The property boasts its own hydro-power derived from the lake giving free heating during winter months.  
 
The lake, lined by a 200 year old Scots Pines, is stocked with trout and other native species of fish and wildlife. The outflow is by means of a 20ft high waterfall that leads on to the Suir River and the open sea beyond. 
 
 
ACCOMMODATION 
 

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.


GROUND FLOOR 
 
Entrance Hallway – 14.30m x 5.50m.Solid pitch pine floor, Double Mahogany staircase.Waterford Crystal chandeliers.  

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

Drawing Room – 9.00m x 5.80m. Solid pitch pine floor, open fire with Mahogany fireplace. 

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

Living Room – 5.80m x 5.70m. Solid pitch pine floor, open fire with marble fireplace. 

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

Dining Room – 9.00m x 5.65m. Solid pitch pine floor, open fire with marble fireplace. Door leading to butlers pantry. 

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

Kitchen – 5.95m x 5.65m. Fully fitted kitchen units with Aga. Door leading to side entrance.  

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

Pantry – 5.80m x 2.30m. Fitted wall and floor cupboards.  
 
Boot Room – 5.80m x 3.15m. Door to rear garden.  
 
Shower Room – Shower, Wash Hand Basin and toilet. 
 
Laundry Room – 3.85m x 1.95m 
 
FIRST FLOOR 

Landing – 12.00m x 5.40m. Solid pitch pine floor, double mahogany staircase, skylight.  

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

Bedroom 1 – 6.05m x 5.80m. Open fire with marble fireplace.  
 
Ensuite Bath, wash hand basin, toilet and Bidet. 
 
Bedroom 2 – 6.10m x 5.80m. Open fire with marble fireplace. Walk in Wardrobe.  
 
Ensuite – 4.20m x 3.35m. Triton Electric Shower, toilet and wash hand basin.  
 
Bedroom 3 – 4.25m x 2.65m 
 
Bedroom 4 – 5.95m x 5.80m 
 
Bedroom 5 – 5.95m x 5.80m. Open fire with marble fireplace. Fitted wardrobes. 
 
Bathroom – Partially tiled walls, Triton shower, wash hand basin and toilet. 
 
Store Room – 4.35m x 2.65m 
 
Store Room – 5.80m x 3.20m 

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

BASEMENT 
 
Hall – 17.00m x 5.45m. Stairs leading to ground floor. Arch to wine cellar and bar. Door leading to lakeside terrace. 

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

Bedroom 6 – 3.70m x 3.20m 
 
Ensuite – 3.20m x 1.85m. Shower, wash hand basin and toilet  
 
Bedroom 7 – 5.65m x 5.35m  
 
Library – 5.75m x 5.35m. Shelving. Door to strong room.  

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

Wine Cellar – 3.65m x 2.45m. Flagstone floor.  
 
Bar – 3.65m x 2.70m. Flagstone floor.  
 
Games Room – 5.65m x 2.85m 
 
Store Room – 5.70m x 5.65m 
 
Boiler Room – 5.80m x 5.65m 
 
Store Room – 5.65m x 2.85m  

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

https://www.thejournal.ie/pouldrew-house-4957646-Jan2020/

Lakeside estate on 45 acres with its own waterfall – yours for €1.85m 

Pouldrew House dates back to the 1800s.  

POSITIONED BESIDE A lake and surrounded by 45 acres of greenery, Pouldrew House looks as if it came straight out of a classic novel. 

The reality, however, is that it was built by a viscount in the early 1800s. Palladian in style, the seven-bed property spans two storeys over basement and a total of 13,000 sq ft. 

Impressed? You’re not the only one. Back in 1998, various media outlets reported that Brad Pitt had expressed an interest in purchasing Pouldrew. An Irish Independent report from the time noted that the actor was close to finalising a £2m (now around €2.35m) deal for the property. 

He didn’t go ahead at the time, but right now it could be yours for €1,850,000.  

Among Pouldrew House’s lush grounds is a lake which is lined by 200-year-old Scots Pine trees and stocked with trout and other native species of fish and wildlife. The lake connects to a 20 ft waterfall, which in turn leads onto the River Suir.  

It’s no surprise, then, that the interior is designed to benefit from the mansion’s beautiful surroundings. Adding to its character, there are original Georgian features throughout, including sash windows, ceiling cornices, wooden shutters and ceiling roses.  

The entrance hallway is awe-inspiring, with a double mahogany staircase, Waterford Crystal chandeliers and pitch pine floors, which continue throughout the ground floor. 

The dining room is worthy of even the fanciest dinner parties; picture windows overlook the gardens, while there’s room for a dining table to seat ten or more people. The formal drawing room has a similar layout, as well as a mahogany fireplace, while the living room is smaller in size and features a marble fireplace. 

Moving to the kitchen, duck egg blue cabinets add a pop of colour – and provide plenty of storage space. An AGA forms the main cooking area, while there’s extra room for appliances in the pantry. A boot room, shower room and laundry room complete the ground floor accommodation. 

Taking one of the two staircases to the first floor, there’s a large landing area and skylight. There are five bedrooms here, as well as two en-suite bathrooms, two storage rooms and one family bathroom. 

Three bedrooms feature an open fire with a marble fireplace, while the master bedroom is luxuriously spacious and bright, and boasts a walk-in wardrobe. 

There are two further bedrooms in the basement, as well as a wine cellar, bar, library and games room. There’s access to a patio from here, which directly overlooks the lake. Outside, a fully renovated stable block and loft enjoys views of the waterfall. 

Thinking about the cost of heating this large home? Well, the property boasts its own hydro-power system from the lake, providing free heating whenever you wish.   

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

6/11/21 

€1,850.000. 

POULDREW HOUSE and WATERFALL, Kilmeaden, County Waterford, X91 HD00 , Ireland A most attractive historic home enjoying an extremely picturesque lake front position within a well-timbered private estate that includes a spectacular waterfall, glorious pleasure grounds and a significant hydro-electric turbine. In all the estate extends to some 45 acres or 18.2 hectares. Dating to circa 1814 this classical early 19th-century home is majestically positioned above its own private 12-acre lake and benefited from substantial enrichment works circa 1865. The completed design striking above the lake and against the woodland hillside rising above the house. Six large window bays on each of the south, west and east facing facades designed to optimize natural light within the house. Remarkably this mid-19th-century design predominately survives, not just externally but throughout the principal reception rooms and bedrooms. Albeit with contemporary Chinese decorative influences and furnishings more recently added but wholly retractable, if wished. Aspects of a richly designed 19th-Century landscape still survive too, including an impressive suite of cut-stone steps from the main lawn down to the lakeside. A truly remarkable feature of the estate is the impressive waterfall and hyrdo-electric power generating turbine, which was installed in 1932 and still functions admiringly to power the house central heating electric storage radiators. While now elaborate picturesque aspects of the pleasure grounds within the estate the substantial dam and waterfall works were once fundamental to a significant milling operation at Pouldrew. The attractive stone stabling outbuilding once part of an extensive mill positioned adjacent to the waterfall weir. A generous reception hall leads to the principal reception rooms and opens into the stair-hall. Where twin imperial style carved mahogany staircases lead to a landing return, with a single flight continuing to the first floor. The drawing room, dining room and library each feature large open fireplaces, two with impressive marble chimneypieces. Each room featuring fine decorative plasterwork, timber window shuttering, finely carved timber window and door architraves, rich mahogany doors and large timber flooring boards. A study, kitchen, pantry, shower room and laundry complete the accommodation on this level. The kitchen opening to a patio terrace, itself linking to a lower terrace overlooking the lake. A generous landing on the upper floor is top-lit from a glazed atrium and leads to seven bedrooms in the current configuration. A master bedroom suite having a dual south and west aspect bedroom and adjoining dressing room and bathroom. There is one other bedroom with a bathroom en-suite with two bathrooms serving the other five. The lower level opens out at ground level on the lakeside elevation with three large glazed doors opening from a large central axial hallway to a garden terrace. Included is an office, games room, bar, wine cellar and a staff bedroom suite. The grounds are a little unkempt but retain much of the original splendor and include magnificent mature trees and flowering shrubs and richly augment the estate. Restored there is little doubt as to their rich appeal. Structurally the house appears sound and required upgrading seems manageable, with re-roofing and re-wiring works recently completed. Pouldrew is positioned in the southeast of Ireland, known as the sunny southeast and in Ireland’s driest eastern region. Waterford county is very scenic and enjoys a coastal position. Waterford city, is just a 20 minute drive away and nearby golden sandy beaches include Tramore, just 18 minutes away. Dublin, Cork and Waterford airports and major trunk roads are easily accessible. Eircode [property specific address code] X91 HD00, GPS location 52.25526048 Latitude, -7.25616931 Longitude. Elevation above sea level 85.3 feet or 26 metres. BER (Building Energy Rating Certificate) Exempt For additional information, including floorplans and a ‘walk-through’ style video, contact Selling Agent David Ashmore in Ireland Sotheby’s International Realty 

Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.
Pouldrew House, Country Waterford, photograph courtesy Sotheby’s International Realty.

Mayfield, Portlaw, Co Waterford

by jenjunebug

Mayfield, Portlaw, Co Waterford

Mark Bence-Jones. A Guide to Irish Country Houses (originally published as Burke’s Guide to Country Houses volume 1 Ireland by Burke’s Peerage Ltd. 1978); Revised edition 1988 Constable and Company Ltd, London. 

p. 204. “An 1840s Italianate rebuilding of an earlier house by William Tinsley, of Clonmel,for a member of the Quaker family of Malcolmson who in early C19 founded the great cotton mills at Portlaw which brought great prosperity to the town. Of three storeys, with a tower projecting from the centre of the front; a composition which may have been inspired by the nearby Curraghmore. After emigrating to USA 1851, Tinsley repeated the Mayfield theme in several American college buildings.” 

https://archiseek.com/2013/mayfield-house-portlaw-co-waterford

1849 – Mayfield House, Portlaw, Co. Waterford 

Mayfield House, County Waterford, photograph by Robert French, (between ca. 1865-1914), Lawrence Photograph Collection, National Library of Ireland.

Architect: William Tinsley / John Skipton Mulvany 

Detached seven-bay three-storey over basement Italianate house incorporating fabric of earlier house constructed for the Malcomson family, whose cotton mills were nearby. Originally designed by William Tinsley, with later additions of 1857 including the tower by J.S. Mulvany. Now sadly ruined, the building has been largely stripped for architectural salvage. The tower remains a dramatic focal point. 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/22803035/mayfield-house-coolroe-upp-by-clonagam-par-portlaw-co-waterford

Mayfield House, COOLROE (UPP. BY.) CLONAGAM PAR., Portlaw, County Waterford 

Detached seven-bay three-storey over basement Italianate house, c.1840, on an almost-symmetrical plan incorporating fabric of earlier house, c.1740, with four-bay three-storey Garden elevation to south-west originally having service range to south-west. Renovated, 1857, with single-bay three-stage higher Italianate entrance tower added to centre on a square plan, seven-bay single-storey double-pile lateral wing to north-west having paired single-bay single-storey bows to north-west, seven-bay single-storey single-pile lateral wing to south-east (originally conservatory), and service range to south-west removed. Subsequently in use as offices. Now in ruins. Hipped slate roofs now gone behind parapets with granite ashlar chimney stacks, and traces of cast-iron rainwater goods. Remains of barrel-vaulted roof to wing to south-east with iron ribs on moulded cast-iron cornice. Roof to entrance tower not visible behind. Unpainted rendered walls with channelling to ground floor, stringcourse over, full-height corner pilasters to upper floors supporting plain frieze having projecting cornice with modillions, and blocking course to parapet. Unpainted rendered panelled parapets to wings on moulded cornices having rendered coping. Square-headed window openings to main block (in square-headed recesses to ground floor) with cut-stone sills on consoles (forming sill course to first floor), and moulded surrounds having segmental pediments to first floor on elongated consoles. Remains of 6/6 timber sash windows with some 2/2 timber sash windows to side (north-west) elevation. Round-headed window openings to second stage to entrance tower with projecting sills on consoles, moulded surrounds, and deep panelled hoods over. Square-headed window openings to top stage to entrance tower on consoled projecting course with segmental pediments on elongated consoles. Fittings now gone. Round-headed door openings to first stage to entrance tower (leading into barrel-vaulted corridor) with moulded surrounds having deep panelled hoods over. No fittings. Series of round-headed openings to front (north-east) elevation of wings (some blind) in round-headed recesses with square-headed window openings to remaining elevations. Fittings now gone. Interior now in ruins with some floors partly collapsed, outlines of red brick-lined fireplaces, and evidence of coved plaster ceilings on timber batons. Set back from road in own grounds with avenue to entrance, and overgrown grounds to site. 

Appraisal 

An imposing, well-composed, substantial house built for the Malcomson family to designs prepared by William Tinsley (1804 – 1885), and reputed to incorporate the fabric of an earlier house, thereby attesting to a long-standing presence on site. A range of stylistic features enhance the architectural design quality of the composition, including bow-ended wings, which are a trait common to further Malcomson properties, including Woodlock (House) (22803001/WD-08-03-01), and Villa Marina, Dock Road, Dunmore East (22817021/WD-27-17-21), and which attest to the later intervention by John Skipton Mulvany (1813 – 1871). The house is distinguished by the elegant entrance tower, which augments the Italianate Classical quality of the composition. Now in ruins, and having been exposed to architectural salvage, much of the original fabric has been lost, although the remains of some fine detailing to the openings survive intact, contributing to the design quality of the site. The construction of the barrel vault to one wing, now exposed, may be considered to be of some technical interest. The house forms an elegant centrepiece in extensive grounds originally accommodating the Malcomson cotton factory complex, and remains an imposing, although increasingly obscured, landmark of some Romantic quality in the townscape. 

Mayfield House, Portlaw, County Waterford, photograph courtesy of National Inventory.

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/22803036/mayfield-house-factory-road-coolroe-upp-by-clonagam-par-portlaw-co-waterford

Detached three-bay single-storey Italianate gate lodge, c.1840, with single-bay single-storey half-octagonal entrance elevation to east, and three-bay single-storey side elevations to north and to south. Now disused and derelict. Hipped slate roof (half-polygonal to entrance elevation) on timber beams and batons with clay ridge tiles, rendered chimney stack, and remains of cast-iron rainwater goods on overhanging timber eaves. Painted rendered, ruled and lined walls with rendered quoins, and moulded rendered cornice. Square-headed window openings with stone sills, and moulded rendered surrounds. Fittings now gone. Square-headed door opening with rendered pilaster doorcase having shallow pediment over. Fittings now gone. Interior now derelict. Set back from line of road at entrance to grounds shared with Mayfield House and Portlaw Cotton Factory. Part overgrown grounds to site. (ii) Gateway, c.1840, to east comprising decorative cast-iron gate with sections of cast-iron flanking railings on granite plinth, decorative cast-iron open work piers forming flanking gateways with cast-iron double gates (on shallow concave plans operated by chain mechanism), and sections of cast-iron flanking railings leading to unpainted rendered panelled terminating piers having panelled friezes, moulded cornices, and remains of cast-iron gas lamp holders to capping. 

Appraisal 

A well-composed, small-scale gate lodge fashioned in an Italianate style, which complements the appearance of the main house to north-west (228030035/WD-08-03-35), suggesting that both compositions were built to designs prepared by John Skipton Mulvany (1813 – 1871). Although now disused, and in an advanced derelict state, the lodge retains its original form and massing, together with some important salient features and materials. The gateway to east, designed by Richard Turner (1798 – 1881), and fashioned at the Richard Turner Hammersmith Ironworks, Ballsbridge, Dublin, is an ornamental composition incorporating three sets of gates, the flanking double gates operated by a chain mechanism that survives on site, and which is of technical and engineering significance. The gates and railings are fine examples of early mass-produced cast-iron work and, together with the lodge, form a picturesque termination to the vista from Factory Road to the east. 

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

Mayfield was held by William Malcolmson from the Medlicott estate at the time of Griffith’s Valuation, when it was valued at £50. Lewis refers to it as the seat of J. Malcolmson in 1837. In 1906 it was the property of William Malcomson and valued at £31. It is now a ruin.  

https://theirishaesthete.com/2019/01/14/mayfield/

Eaten Bread is Soon Forgotten

by theirishaesthete

Mayfield House, Portlaw, County Waterford, photograph by Robert O’Byrne.


Portlaw, County Waterford and its association with the Malcomson family have been mentioned here before (see: A Shell, June 28th 2017). The Malcomsons were of Scottish Presbyterian origin but in the mid-18th century one branch became members of the Quaker community. A son of this line, David Malcomson, settled in Clonmel, County Tipperary where from 1793 onwards he became involved in the corn milling industry and enjoyed such success that when Richard Lalor Shiel visited the town in 1828 he could write ‘Malcomson’s Mill is I believe the finest in Ireland. Here half the harvest of the adjoining counties as well as Tipperary is powdered.’ By that date the family, fearful that the Corn Laws (restrictions on the import of grain which favoured domestic production) were to be revoked by parliament, had moved into another business in another part of the country. In 1825 Malcomson took a 999-year lease on a house called Mayfield and the adjacent 16 acres from a local landlord, John Medlycott. A small corn mill, damaged by fire, stood on the site and this was redeveloped as a vast, six-storey cotton mill, building a canal to utilize the power of the adjacent river Clodiagh. The enterprise required large numbers of employees and as a result the little village of Portlaw expanded rapidly. Around the time the Malcomsons began work on the mill, it comprised less than 400 residents living in 71 houses: by 1841 the population of Portlaw had grown to 3,647 souls occupying 458 houses, most of the latter built by the Malcomsons as part of a planned urban settlement. The family lived on the edge of the town and directly above the mill in Mayfield.

Mayfield House, Portlaw, County Waterford, photograph by Robert O’Byrne.
Mayfield House, Portlaw, County Waterford, photograph by Robert O’Byrne.
Mayfield House, Portlaw, County Waterford, photograph by Robert O’Byrne.
Mayfield House, Portlaw, County Waterford, photograph by Robert O’Byrne.
Mayfield House, Portlaw, County Waterford, photograph by Robert O’Byrne.






The core of Mayfield was a classical house dating from c.1740 and it was here the Malcomsons initially lived. However, in 1849 Joseph Malcomson, who had assumed responsibility for the business, employed architect William Tinsley to enlarge the building. Like his client, Tinsley originally came from Clonmel and had built up a substantial practice in the area, so he was an obvious choice. However, by the time Joseph Malcomson decided on a further expansion of Mayfield, Tinsley was no longer available: in 1851 he had emigrated with his family to the United States where he enjoyed an equally successful career before dying in Cincinnati in 1885. So in 1857 Malcomson instead employed John Skipton Mulvany who specialized in a loosely-Italianate style architecture and who was responsible for giving the house its present appearance. Mulvany added many of Mayfield’s most striking features, not least a three-storey tower that served as an entrance on the house’s eastern front. This rises considerably higher than the rest of the three-storey over basement building which is of seven bays: the tower accordingly provided views both down to the factory and over to the village, allowing the Malcomsons a paternalistic prospect of their workers. Mulvany was also responsible for the single-storey over basement wings on either side of the main block: that to the south served as a conservatory, that to the north held a pair of reception rooms. However the family were not to enjoy this splendor for long, the cotton factory which generated their wealth being ruined in the aftermath of the American Civil War (the Malcomsons had extended credit to the losing side).

Mayfield House, Portlaw, County Waterford, photograph by Robert O’Byrne.
Mayfield House, Portlaw, County Waterford, photograph by Robert O’Byrne.
Mayfield House, Portlaw, County Waterford, photograph by Robert O’Byrne.
Mayfield House, Portlaw, County Waterford, photograph by Robert O’Byrne.
Mayfield House, Portlaw, County Waterford, photograph by Robert O’Byrne.






In the last quarter of the 19th century the Portlaw factory was adapted for spinning but this enterprise didn’t last long and it was only in the early 1930s that a new purpose was found for the complex when it was acquired to act as a tannery by the Irish Leathers Group. Mayfield, which had for a period been occupied by members of the de la Poer Beresford family of nearby Curraghmore, now became an office premises for the new enterprise, and remained as such for the next half century. The tannery closed in the 1980s, and as a result Mayfield no longer had any purpose, although to the end of that decade a proposal was put forward to convert both factory and house into a retirement home. The scheme never took off and for the past thirty-odd years Mayfield has stood empty, falling into its present state of dereliction. As can be seen, little of the original mid-Victorian interiors remains other than fragments of plasterwork and rotting timbers. The exterior of the building has proven more sturdy, and retains the same appearance found in old photographs. But it is difficult to know what sort of future, if any, Mayfield might have. There is an old Irish expression Ní bhíonn cuimhne ar an arán a hitear, commonly translated as ‘Eaten bread is soon forgotten.’ Portlaw as seen today owes its existence to the enterprise and initiative of the Malcomsons: what a shame that so little has been done to acknowledge their contribution to the area.

Mayfield House, Portlaw, County Waterford, photograph by Robert O’Byrne.

Mayfield House, Portlaw, County Waterford, for sale 2026 courtesy BidX1

The property is arranged to provide a historical estate located within an irregular shaped parcel of land. The lands are partially comprised within Folio WD39672F.

The house was originally built in 1740 and underwent improvements in the 1840s giving the distinguished Italian style that can still be seen today. It benefits from a large site area of approximately 10.5 hectares (26 acres) with former tannery buildings to the rear of the main house, offering significant development potential (subject to obtaining all necessary planning consents).

The property is located on the outskirts of Portlaw Town, approximately 18km North West of Waterford City.

Tenancy
Vacant possession.

Zoning
Under the WCCC Development Plan 2022 – 2028 the lands are zoned Part RE and part HA.

RE: Provide for enterprise and/or residential led regeneration.
HA: Protect highly sensitive and scenic location from inappropriate development that would adversely affect the environmental quality of the locations.

Ardkeen, Waterford, Co Waterford

by jenjunebug

Ardkeen, Waterford, Co Waterford – hospital 

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. 10. “A two storey early to midC19 house with five bay front and single-storey Doric portico. Built by a member of the Quaker family of Malcolmson, who founded the great cotton mills of Portlaw in early C19. Afterwards owned by the Bromhead family. Now a hospital.”

https://www.archiseek.com/1952-ardkeen-sanatorium-waterford-co-waterford/

“In 1947 Waterford County Council acquired Ardkeen house and fifty acres of surrounding land. Ardkeen was an Italianate design, designed by J.S. Mulvany, and constructed between 1864-1866. The house was flanked by quadrant walls with gates and pavilions….”

Charlestown House, Clara, Offaly 

by jenjunebug

Charlestown House, Clara, Offaly 

Charlestown House, County Offaly, photograph by Robert French, (between ca. 1865-1914), Lawrence Photograph Collection, National Library of Ireland.

Mark Bence-Jones. A Guide to Irish Country Houses (originally published as Burke’s Guide to Country Houses volume 1 Ireland by Burke’s Peerage Ltd. 1978); Revised edition 1988 Constable and Company Ltd, London.

p. 81. “(Goodbody/IFR)A two storey near-symmetrical Victorian Italianate house with curved bows, entablatures on console brackets over the windows and a fancy pierced roof balustrade, standing near one of the family mills by a mill-race lined with yews and other trees, giving it the appearance of a garden canal.” 

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/14802006/charlestown-house-kilcoursey-county-offaly

Detached four-bay two-storey over basement former country house, built c.1790, with full-height bows added to ends, return to rear and extension to south. Now divided into two apartments. Set within its own grounds. Hipped slate roof, hidden by pierced balustrade, with rendered chimneystacks with terracotta pots and cast-iron rainwater goods. Rendered walls with continuous sill course to first floor level, supported by corbels. Timber sash windows with moulded surrounds, console brackets supporting cornices with corbels supporting sills. Wyatt windows to garden elevation. Moulded surrounds to first floor windows. Square-headed door opening with moulded surround and console brackets surmounted by cornice to timber and glazed door with overlight, accessed by tooled limestone steps. Stone outbuildings with pitched and hipped slate roofs to north and south. Cast-iron gates set to ashlar gate piers with rendered sweeping walls to front. 

Charlestown House, County Offaly, photograph courtesy of National Inventory.
Charlestown House, County Offaly, photograph courtesy of National Inventory.

Designed by J. S. Mulvany, Charlestown House, once the home of the Goodbody family, was originally built in the eighteenth-century as a square block. It was remodelled, by Mulvany, with the addition of the flanking full-height bows and decorative window surrounds, which increased the visual appeal of the building. Architectural design and detail are apparent in the form and execution of the ornate window and door surrounds, reflecting a high quality of craftsmanship applied in their finishing. The setting of the building is enhanced by its elevated position, the outbuildings and entrance, making a significant domestic group. 

Charlestown house, on the edge of the town of Clara in county Offaly, was originally a rather plain rectangular house of the late 18th century. It was Robert Goodbody, a Quaker from Mountmellick who bought the property and crucially the adjoining mill circa 1825. He had married into the wealthy Pim family which seemed to be his catalyst to greater things. 
Firstly the house was extended to the rear to become L shaped, subsequently a bow fronted extension was added to the north side while the south side had a bow applied and the central part was carefully extended forward to match. A roof balustrade runs the length of the front and ties it all together. John Skipton Mulvany was the architect responsible for the alterations, his father was a friend of James Gandon .Mulvany also worked on other Goodbody houses in the locality.A mill race once ran between the house and mill, and must have extenuated the beauty of the setting.The town of Clara now runs up to the rear yards of Charlestown and only to the front does it fully look, maintain and indeed justify its country house origins and personality.  
The Goodbodys were the key to the prosperity of Clara and its environs.Their mills and factories created hundreds of jobs for the locals. Robert had 3 sons, Marcus,Johnathon and Lewis Frederick,who joined with their father,firstly in the milling business. A sack factory was established in 1853 and a jute one in 1864. A partnership formed in 1865, lasted 23 years until in 1888 it became a limited company, much to the shock and possibly disapproval of Bank of Ireland, who perhaps upon due diligence being exercised or just necessity were forsaken in favour of Ulster Bank by the Goodbodys .The initial capital of this “new ” company, wholly family owned ,was £48,000. 
This limited company continued until 1936 when it became a PLC, which lasted until 1984. 
In the 1870s Johnathon lived at Charlestown House. The Goodbody family also owned Drayton Villa, Kilcoursey House, Inchmore, Beechmount, Cork Hill and other fine but smaller homes in the area.Their wealth was considerable as demand surged for Their products.By the 1870s ,apart from their industrial wealth Johnathon had 2128 acres in Offaly and shared 1087 acres in Westmeath with Marcus. Marcus had 1608 acres in Offaly and 2309 acres in Galway too. Lewis Frederick had 484 acres in Offaly and indeed 106 in Galway .The history of the company is too extensive to record fully here, but it went on to have branches and businesses in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Slane as well as Clara. The descendants of the Clara Goodbody family have prospered well too since and the name is still well known in Ireland.Another later generation Robert Goodbody lived in the house up until the 1920s. In 1913, the phone number of the house was Clara 10.At some stage , Mary the widow of Harold ( actually Joseph Harold) Goodbody,who had ” rebuilt” Kilcoursey House in 1909 moved into Charlestown House, possibly in the 1940s/50s? .In fact she moved into part of it as it had been internally split into 2 huge apartments .My information suggests that Harry Galbraith, a director of J. & L.F. Goodbody Ltd (and perhaps others )shared the building with her.Apparently, as had been suggested to me ,the house, and indeed the other Goodbody houses too were in fact owned by the company.To the best of my knowledge the last of the very large and extended Goodbody family to live in Clara were Desmond and Douglas,sons of Joseph Harold and Mary. 
In the 1970s Fred Payne and his son Bill bought Charlestown from the company. The Paynes continue to live there and indeed showed me kind hospitality on my visit.  
My own grandfather had agreed to buy Drayton Villa in the late 1930s but at the request of the local Roman Catholic Church who wished to purchase it he bought elsewhere instead (hopefully for a heavenly and financial gain),Kilcoursey was sold to the Flynn family (since resold ) and Inchmore was sold many decades ago to a religious institution,later sold for private use to Derry Kilroy,was resold, and now lies sadly in danger of dereliction, hopefully with better days to come. 

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

In 1786 Wilson refers to Charlestown as the “the fine seat of Mr. King, most delightfully situated on the Shannon”. The first Ordnance Survey map marks both Charlestown House and Charlestown Old House closeby at M984 976. Valued at £46 at the time of Griffith’s Valuation. In 1894 Charlestown was the residence of Sir Gilbert King. The house is no longer extant but extensive estate architecture survives.   

Knockanally, Donadea, Co Kildare 

by jenjunebug

Knockanally, Donadea, Co Kildare 

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. 178. “A mid-C19 Italianate house of two storeys with central one bay balustraded attic rising above the roofs on either side. Three bay entrance front; central Venetian window; 1st floor windows in outer bays with entablatures and balconies on console brakcets; Venetian windows below. Single-storey balustraded portico. In recent years the home of Captain Sheppard.”

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/11900407/knockanally-house-knockanally-knockanally-demesne-co-kildare

Detached three-bay two- and three-storey over basement Italianate-style house, c.1790, on a symmetrical plan retaining early aspect comprising single-bay three-storey central bay with prostyle tetrastyle portico to ground floor, single-bay two-storey advanced flanking end bays and four-bay two-storey side elevations. Now in use as clubhouse. Hipped roofs (behind parapet wall to central bay) with slate. Clay ridge tiles. Cut-stone chimney stacks. Cast-iron rainwater goods (on consoled eaves course to flanking end bays). Uncoursed squared rubble stone walls to basement. Limestone ashlar walls over. Cut-stone dressings including stringcourses to flanking end bays having consoled moulded cornices over. Cut-stone balustraded parapet wall to central bay with piers having cut-stone coping and finials. Square-headed window openings (Venetian windows to ground floor flanking end bays and to first floor central bay; window openings in recessed panels to first floor flanking end bays having corbelled cut-stone balconies with pierced fret work detailing). Cut-stone sills. Cut-stone pilaster surrounds to Venetian openings having moulded necking and archivolts with keystones. 6/6 timber sash windows to Venetian windows with fanlights and 2/2 sidelights. Moulded cut-stone surrounds to openings to first floor flanking end bays with entablatures over. Timber casement windows. Square window opening to top floor central bay. Moulded cut-stone surround. Fixed-pane timber window. Shallow segmental-headed window openings to ground floor side and rear elevations. Cut-stone sills. Cut-stone surrounds with rusticated voussoirs. 6/6 timber sash windows. Pair of round-headed door openings behind cut-stone prostyle tetrastyle portico with moulded necking to piers, plain frieze, moulded cornice and balustraded parapet wall over. Cut-stone surrounds to door openings. Glazed timber panelled double doors. Overlights. Interior with timber panelled shutters to window openings. Set back from road in own grounds. Tarmacadam forecourt/carpark to front. Landscaped lawns to rear. Detached six-bay single-storey outbuilding with attic, c.1810, to west on an L-shaped plan about a courtyard comprising three-bay single-storey range with three-bay single-storey projecting wing to left having segmental-headed integral carriageway. Gable-ended roof on an L-shaped plan with slate (gabled to attic windows). Clay ridge tiles (crested red clay ridge tiles to attic windows). Cut-stone bellcote to gable. Cut-stone coping to gables. Square rooflights. Cast-iron rainwater goods on eaves course. Roughcast walls. Painted. Rendered wall to side elevation. Unpainted. Shallow segmental-headed openings. Stone sills. Red and yellow brick surrounds. Timber fittings. Segmental-headed integral carriageway. Red and yellow brick surround with keystone. Fittings not visible. Gateway, c.1810, to courtyard comprising round-headed opening with red brick piers having yellow brick dressings, terracotta keystone, wrought iron double gates and round-headed pedestrian gateway perpendicular to left. Remains of detached outbuilding, c.1810, to parkland possibly originally folly comprising random rubble plinth wall with yellow brick over having square-headed door opening with cut-stone block-and-start surround having wrought iron gate and cut-stone hood moulding over. Detached three-bay single-storey gate lodge with dormer attic, c.1810, to south on a symmetrical plan with single-bay single-storey projecting bay to centre on a canted plan, single-bay single-storey canted bay window to side elevation and single-bay single-storey return to rear. Gable-ended roof with slate (polygonal to projecting bay; hipped to return). Crested red clay ridge tiles (rolled lead ridge tiles to projecting bay). Cut-stone chimney stack with moulded stringcourse and coping. Timber eaves and bargeboards (forming open-bed pediment to gable ends). Cast-iron rainwater goods. Limestone ashlar walls. Moulded cut-stone stringcourse. Square-headed window openings (including to canted bay window). Stone sills. Timber casement windows. Round-headed window openings to projecting bay (paired to gables). Cut-stone sills and surrounds (some with keystones). Timber casement windows. Round-headed door opening. Cut-stone surround. Timber panelled door. Gateway, c.1810, to south comprising pair of cut-stone piers with vermiculated panels having moulded cornices, plain friezes and cut-stone capping with wrought iron double gates, square-headed flanking pedestrian gateway to left (unpierced corresponding flanking wall to right), cut-stone outer pier with vermiculated panels, moulded cornice and capping, and limestone ashlar flanking boundary wall with moulded detailing and cut-stone coping.

Knockanally House is a fine and attractive substantial house that, although converted to a public use, has retained most of its original form and character. The scale and fine detailing of the house suggest its social and historic importance as the residence of a patron of high status in the locality. The construction in limestone ashlar attests to the high quality of stone masonry traditionally practised in the locality and this is especially evident in the cut-stone detailing that gives the composition its Italianate tone, including the decorative balconies, surrounds to openings, and so on, all of which have retained a crisp intricacy. The house has been very well maintained and retains important original salient features and materials including multi-pane timber sash fenestration, timber fittings to the door openings, and slate roofs having cast-iron rainwater goods. It is believed that the interior spaces are similarly intact, and timber panelled internal shutters are visible to the window openings. The house is complemented by an extensive range of ancillary structures that are individually of architectural heritage importance. The range of outbuildings to west provide insight in to the working life of a planned estate, and the use of red and yellow brick dressings – notably to the gateway leading in to the courtyard – provides an attractive example of polychromy in the grounds. The folly also provides insight in to the planning of an estate, in this instance for recreational and aesthetic purposes. The gate lodge to south has also been well maintained to present an early aspect and, despite the modest-scale, is a highly ornamental piece that forms an attractive feature on the side of the road. Also of particular interest is the gateway leading in to the grounds, the construction of which again attests to the high quality stone masonry of the region, and the gates of which are a good example of early surviving wrought iron work. The grounds of the estate are also of interest – parts having been converted to use as a golf course, the grounds immediately surrounding the house and various outbuildings have been preserved as originally intended and are important for the purpose of the context of the buildings.

https://theirishaesthete.com/2024/08/26/knockanally/

What a Waste

by theirishaesthete

Knockanally, County Kildare, photograph courtesy of Irish Aesthete.


The history of Knockanally, County Kildare is rather opaque, although it is known that the Coates family, the first of whom appears to have arrived in Ireland in the early 1700s, acquired the land on which it stands from the Aylmers who lived not far away at the now-derelict Donadea Castle (see Another Blot on the Landscape « The Irish Aesthete). Some kind of residence was built at Knockanally and in the mid-18th century this was occupied by one William Coates, known to have died in 1766 when the property was inherited by his eldest son, Matthew. When his grandson William Lancake Coates died in the following century, Knockanally was inherited by William Coristine Coates, the son of his cousin. His descendants appear to have continued living on the estate until it was taken over by the Irish Land Commission in 1942 and subsequently divided among various farmers. The immediate demesne and main house were then sold to a Captain Sheppard, who in turn sold it to the Maharani of Baroda. In 1959, ownership passed to the Rehabilitation Institute, which used the house as a convalescent home for the victims of polio.Further changes of ownership seem to have followed before Knockanally was bought in 1983 by Noel Lyons, who turned the land into an 18-hole golf course. 

Knockanally, County Kildare, photograph courtesy of Irish Aesthete.
Knockanally, County Kildare, photograph courtesy of Irish Aesthete.
Knockanally, County Kildare, photograph courtesy of Irish Aesthete.
Knockanally, County Kildare, photograph courtesy of Irish Aesthete.





As it appears today, Knockanally dates from c.1843 when commissioned by William Lancake Coates on a site east of the original house. The architect responsible was Dublin-born William Deane Butler, much of whose work involved designing institutional buildings such as court and market houses, although he did receive commissions for a number of country houses also. As noted by the late Jeremy Williams, Knockanally is almost a cube, ‘if its height is assessed on the three-storied central bay.’ Of two storeys over basement and faced with wonderfully crisp limestone ashlar, the building is entered via an Ionic portico flanked by Venetian windows with a third directly above it. On this level, windows within shallow recesses open onto balconies: these can also be found on each of the four-bay side elevations. Seemingly the interior featured a central, double-height and top-lit hall. Williams has noted that this is a reduced version of the hall in Dublin’s Broadstone station, designed by John Skipton Mulvany who, he suggests, may therefore have had a hand in Knockanally. As for the very substantial and elaborate gatelodge at the entrance to the former estate, J.A.K. Dean dates this to c.1870, too late to have been designed by either Butler (who died in 1857) but may have come from Mulvany as he lived until that date. 

Knockanally, County Kildare, photograph courtesy of Irish Aesthete.
Knockanally, County Kildare, photograph courtesy of Irish Aesthete.
Knockanally, County Kildare, photograph courtesy of Irish Aesthete.
Knockanally, County Kildare, photograph courtesy of Irish Aesthete.

In September 2010 it was reported that one of the country’s banks had appointed a receiver over Knockanally Golf Club, set in 125 acres; this move came a few days after creditors of Ferndale Leisure, the holding company behind the club, had met to appoint a liquidator; at the time, with an economic recession at this height, quite a number of Ireland’s golf clubs were going into receivership. Three years later, the club, the main house, gate lodge and a number of golf ‘lodges’ in the grounds, was sold to a Warwickshire-based company, St Francis Group for  €1.1 million: some years earlier, this portfolio had been valued at €3.5 to €4 million. Quite what has happened since then seems to be unclear. Refurbishment work was carried out on the house and other buildings on the site, but in September 2018 the local Leinster Leader reported that the golf club had again closed down and was to be offered for sale. Since then, both the house and gate lodge have remained closed and boarded up, with inevitable deterioration in the fabric of both buildings. A dreadful waste.

Knockanally, County Kildare, photograph courtesy of Irish Aesthete.

Mount Anville (also known as Dargan Villa), Dundrum, Co Dublin – school 

by jenjunebug

Mount Anville (also known as Dargan Villa), Dundrum, Co Dublin – school 

Bence-Jones, Mark. A Guide to Irish Country Houses (originally published as Burke’s Guide to Country Houses volume 1 Ireland by Burke’s Peerage Ltd. 1978); Revised edition 1988 Constable and Company Ltd, London.

p. 212. “An early Victorian-Italianate villa, with an eaved roof on a bracket cornice; dominated by an unusually tall and massive campanile tower. The home of the railway contractor, William Dargan, the leading spirit of the Dublin Exhibition 1853. Queen Victoria paid Dargan the exceptional honour of visiting here when she came over to Dublin for the Exhibtion; and she climbed to the top of the tower to see the “24 distinct views” which it afforded. Later in C19, the house became a well-known girls’ convent school.” 

Not in national inventory