Falkiner, Riggs (d. circa 1797) 1st Baronet of Anne Mount County Cork

Annemount, Glounthaune, Co Cork – Fire in 1948, destroyed

by jenjunebug

Annemount, Glounthaune, Co Cork – Fire in 1948, destroyed 

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. 5. “Falkiner/BT,PB; Cummins/IFR; Beamish/IRF; Gillman/IFR; Murphy/IFR; Bence-Jones/IFR) A two storey house in a magnificent situation overlooking Lough Mahon and the upper reaches of Cork Harbour; built in late C18 by Sir Riggs Falkiner, 1st Bt, who named it in honour of his second wife; enlarged and remodelled ca 1883 to the design of George Ashlin for John Murphy, Master of the United Hunt, who first discovered the house when the fox when he was hunting led him there. As remodelled, the big house was faced in cement, with entablatures over the windows; a projecting two storey porch, with a pediment and pilasters in the upper storey, was added  in the centre in its upper storey, was added in the centre of the front, with a single-storey three-sided pilastered bow on either side of it. The front was extended at one end by the addition of a two-storey wing of the same height and in the same style, with a third singel-storey bow and an Italianate campanile tower. Impressive two storey hall, with staircase and gallery of oak and pitch-pine; ceiling of coloured C19 plasterwork. Coloured C19 plasterwork also in drawing room and dining room, and richly ornamented pilaters; flat of drawing room ceiling covered with embossed gilt paper; moulded entablatures over doors; fine late-Georgian chimneypiece of white marble in drawing room, with Classical head and medallion, flowers, foliage and trophies. Brought 1945 by Col Philip Bence-Jones; destroyed by fire 1948, when a mild sensation was caused by the fact that a statue of the Madonna in the small oratory upstairs was untouched by the flames. The ruin was subsequently demolished.” 

Annmount, County Cork was built by Riggs Falkiner in 1775 but was heavily modified in the 19th century. It burned down accidentally in 1948. The grounds are now filled with a housing estate.

Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.

“A late 18C house remodelled by George Ashlin c. 1883 for John Murphy. Italianate campanile tower at one end. Burnt in 1948 and since demolished.”