Rosmead, Delvin, Co Westmeath
Mark Bence-Jones. A Guide to Irish Country Houses (originally published as Burke’s Guide to Country Houses volume 1 Ireland by Burke’s Peerage Ltd. 1978); Revised edition 1988 Constable and Company Ltd, London.
p. 246. ““A large three storey Georigan bloc, once the seat of the Wood family, now a ruin. Columns form it were used in the rebuilding of Balrath Bury. Seven bay front, with three bay breakfront centre. At the entrance to the demesne is an elegant triumphal arch with Corinthian pilasters and large urns on the flanking walls; this was brought here from Glananea.”
Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.
p. 144. Large three storey late 18C house. Seat of W.H. Wood in 1814. Now a ruin.
Casey, Christine and Alistair Rowan. The Buildings of Ireland: North Leinster. Penguin Books, London, 1993.
p. 201
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Detached seven-bay three-storey country house, built c.1780 and extended to the rear c. 1860, having advanced three-bay breakfront to the centre of the southeast elevation. Possibly incorporating the fabric of an earlier house(s) to site, built c. 1700. Possibly converted to ‘ecclesiastical’ use c. 1933. Now in a ruinous and overgrown condition. Roof now collapsed, probably originally shallow hipped, having raised parapet with limestone eaves cornice and blocking course. Coursed rubble limestone walls with ashlar limestone trim, including string course above ground floor level. Square-headed window openings, diminishing in size towards eaves, no longer retaining any fittings. Cut stone sills and cut stone lintels over the openings. Square-headed door opening to the centre of the three-bay breakfront, fittings now removed. Southwest elevation formerly served a tetrastyle entrance porch, possibly erected c. 1860, now removed. Extensive complex of ruinous outbuildings to the northwest and a triumphant arch gateway to the southwest (15400904). Set well back from road to the northwest of Delvin and to the southwest of Clonmellon.
Appraisal
The impressive ruins of a very large, well-proportioned and imposing Georgian country house, now forming a picturesque shell, of some romantic quality, in the landscape to the northeast of Delvin. This former great house originally had two principal entrance fronts, the southeastern elevation with the breakfront and the southwest elevation, which originally was served by a tetrastyle entrance porch. This porch was removed in 1942 and used in the rebuilding Balrath Bury House, near Kells, Co. Meath. The roof was probably removed at the same time and the house sadly left to decay. Rosmead House was originally built by the Wood Family, who had their home here since c.1700 and possibly as far back as mid seventeenth century (A John Wood of Rosemead, County Westmeath died 1710 aged 82). The form of the present structure suggests that it was rebuilt c. 1780 although it may containfabric from an earlier house or houses to site. Rosemead was the residence of a Hans Wood in 1787 and in 1837 it was the home of H. W. (Henry Widman) Wood, Esq., and was described as being ‘surrounded by fine plantations’ at this time (Lewis 1837). Admiral Hercules Robinson Senior married Frances Elizabeth Wood, daughter and heir of H.W. Wood and they lived at Rosmead until 1849. Their son, Hercules Junior left Ireland and in 1854 became President Administrator of the Government of Montserrat later followed by many more important appointments including Governor of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), New South Wales and New Zealand. In 1864(?) he was made a baronet and chose the title ‘Baron of Rosmead’. Lord Vaux took over Rosmead Estate in 1856, and later carried out ‘alterations and additions to the house (IAA), which were completed by Francis Nulty, builder, of Kells, in 1858 (IAA). Improvements may also have been carried out to the ‘offices’ at Rosmead in 1852 to designs by Matthew Price (drawing in IAA). Rosemead was in the ownership of Lord Greville (of nearby Clonyn Castle) in 1881 (Slater’s Directory) and was later the home of Charlotte Mildred Marquise de la Bedoyere (daughter of Lord Greville) who died in 1906. The house may have been altered for ‘religious use’ to designs by the prolific and esteemed architect Ralph Henry Byrne (1877 – 1946) in 1933 (IAA). However, the house was derelict and the porch removed in 1942 (see above) so it is probable that no works were carried out by Byrne in the 1930s. An extensive collection of attendant outbuildings to the rear enhance the group and setting values of the site, and help provide an historical insight into the extensive resources required to maintain a country estate of this importance during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Rosmead House, CAVESTOWN AND ROSMEAD, County Westmeath
Triumphant arched gateway serving Rosmead House (15400921), erected c.1795. Comprises round-headed carriage arch flanked by giant order Corinthian pilasters supporting entablature and cornice over and terminated by square-piers, originally topped by urn finials (now removed). Arch supports pair of wrought-iron gates. Constructed of ashlar limestone with extensive ashlar trim. Keystone, masks and Corinthian capitals executed in Coade stone. Gate flanked to either side by low rendered walls terminated by gate piers on square plan. Located to the south of Rosemead House and to the north of Delvin.
Appraisal
An important, elegantly-composed triumphant arch gateway serving Rosmead House (15400921). These spectacular entrance gates are very well-built using high quality ashlar limestone and are extensively embellished using ashlar and Coade Stone detailing. Coade stone was a type of ‘artificial stone’ first created by Mrs. Eleanor Coade (1733-1821), andsold commercially from 1769 to 1833. It was commonly used for decorative elements of Georgian buildings in England, particularly in the southeast, but is rare material in Ireland. These gates were originally designed by the renowned architect Samuel Woolley to serve a neighbouring estate, Glananea House (15305003), near Drumcree. These gates were later dismantled and moved to Rosemead in the early nineteenth-century after the owner of Glananea House, a Ralph Smyth, got tired of been called ‘Smyth with the gates’. However, his plan backfired slightly and flowing the moving of these elaborate gates he was later known locally as ‘Smyth without the gates’, much to his chagrin. Apparently, the statues and urns that originally formed part of this gateway are now in a private collection in Northern Ireland. These gate now form a highly appealing and visual pleasing artefact in the landscape to the north of Delvin and acts as an historical reminder of Rosmead House, now derelict to the north.
Irish Historic Houses 