Cooleville, Clogheen, Co Tipperary
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. 90. “(Grubb/IFR; Sackville-West, Sackville, B/PB) A pleasant early c19 house of two storeys over a basement and three bays, with a pillared porch and a two storey service wing; built by one of the Grubb family who owned the mill, the ruin of which stands beside the avenue and now, hung with creepers, forms a feature of the garden. From 1956 until his death 1965, the home of Edward Sackville-West, 5th Lord Sackville, the author and music critic, who decorated the house in a delightful Victorian manner as a background to his noteable collection of modern pictures. The drawing room was hung with a maroon-coloured flowered paper; the library with a paper of Prussian blue, which set off the orange pine bookcases and the warm colours of a Graham Sutherland landscape over the fireplace. The library opens into a Gothic conservatory which Lord Sackville added ca 1963, to the design of Mr Donal O’Neill Flanagan.”
Detached three-bay two-storey over half-basement country house, built c. 1805, with three-bay three-storey extension to north, c. 1885, single- and two-storey extensions to north and bowed conservatory added 1963 to south. Hipped slate roofs with rendered chimneystacks and cast-iron rainwater goods. Painted roughcast rendered walls. Square-headed window openings with timber sash windows, three-over-six pane to first floor, six-over-six to ground of main block and upper floors of north block. Round-headed timber sash window to south. Flat ogee-headed openings to conservatory with decorative twelve-over-twelve pane timber sash windows and glazed double doors with decorative overlight, accessed by flight of steps. Round-headed carved limestone main door opening with timber panelled door flanked by carved stone pilasters, with decorative sidelights, timber pilasters and cobweb fanlight. Accessed by flight of limestone steps. Dressed limestone pier with limestone capping and plinths and cast-iron gate to site.
Appraisal
This early nineteenth-century country house retains notable features such as the timber sash windows. It is the focal structure in a group of related buildings including a gate lodge, mill and courtyard, all built by the Grubb family. Skilled craftsmanship is exhibited in the decorative doorcase and the fine entrance gateway. It is enhanced by the Gothic Revival style conservatory designed by Donal O’Neil-Flanagan which was commissioned by Mr. Edward Sackville-West, the fifth Lord Sackville, author and music critic.
Coach yard complex, built c. 1805, comprising two ranges of multiple-bay two-storey stables and coach houses to south and west. South range multi-phase. Two-phase L-plan two- and three-storey house to east with rear extension, having half-hipped, gabled and catslide slate roofs with part-dressed stone eaves course and two-bay two-storey house to west with pitched slate roof, flanking entrance comprising carriage arch with pedestrian entrance. Stables have pitched artificial slate roofs, with dressed stone eaves course and some cast-iron rainwater goods. Rubble sandstone walls. Square-headed openings with replacement timber shutters, windows and doors. Segmental- and elliptical carriage arches with sandstone voussoirs and replacement timber double doors. Dwellings have rendered chimneystacks and cast-iron rainwater goods, rubble sandstone walls and square-headed openings with replacement timber windows and doors. Elliptical-headed entrance carriage arch with cut stone voussoirs, impost course, carved keystone and rubble walls with capping. Square-headed pedestrian entrance having cut stone voussoirs and dropped keystone. Replacement wrought-iron gates.
Appraisal
This coach yard forms part of an interesting demesne group with the nearby Coolville House and the mill complex, both also built by the Grubb family. The outbuildings form an architecturally-pleasing enclosed space with their regular roofline and closed corners. Interest is added by the dwellings to the north with their varied roofs and the finely-carved entrance arch. It has been restored and is still in use.
Irish Historic Houses 