Mount Loftus, Goresbridge, Co Kilkenny
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.
supplement.
p. 215. “(Loftus/IFR) Originally a house built 1750 by 1st Viscount Loftus of 2nd creation for his son Edward, afterwards 1st Bt. Of two storeys over a basement and an attic lit in three bay entrance front by a single Diocletian window, and in the garden front by windows in three sided central bow. On the entrance front there was a pedimented doorway with Doric columns, which was subsequently re-erected on the front of an enclosed porch. The garden front was of one bay on either side of the bow. A two storey three bay office wing was subsequently added at one side of the house. A wide corridor-hall ran along the whole length of the entrance front on the ground floor, with the stairs at one end of it; the drawing room extended into the garden front bow. This house was demolished ca 1906 by Major J.E.B. Loftus and a much larger house built in its place, of local granite, irregular and rambling, with gables and bargeboards, a pyramidal roofed tower, quoins and the porch of the previous house re-used. The greater part of the new house was destroyed in a fire 1934, after which a house was made out of the surviving servants’ wing, which had archway in it. This archway was made into a hall; one end of it being enclosed by the original porch, re-used yet again; the other end being glazed to form a small conservatory. Charming enclosed knot-garden with old tower-like garden house (see supplement).”
https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/12402503/mount-loftus-house-mountloftus-co-kilkenny
Mount Loftus (House), MOUNTLOFTUS, County Kilkenny
Detached five-bay two-storey country house, reconstructed post-1934, on a U-shaped plan incorporating fabric of earlier house, built 1906, on site of earlier house, 1750-4, comprising three-bay two-storey central bay with single-bay single-storey flat-roofed projecting porch to centre ground floor, single-bay two-storey gabled advanced flanking end bays, two-bay two-storey return to north-east, and five-bay two-storey return to north-west terminating in single-bay two-storey higher end bay to north. Pitched slate roofs (gablet over window opening to centre first floor; gabled to end bays) with clay ridge tiles, red brick Running bond chimney stacks having stringcourses, rooflights, timber bargeboards, and cast-iron rainwater goods on slightly overhanging exposed timber eaves. Flat roof to porch not visible behind parapet. Irregular coursed squared rubble granite walls with rock-faced cut-granite dressings including quoins to corners, stringcourse to porch supporting frieze, carved cornice, and blocking course to parapet. Square-headed window openings (some paired; some camber-headed window openings to rear (north) elevation) with cut-granite sills, yellow brick block-and-start surrounds (some having render over), and one-over-one timber sash windows. Round-headed door opening to porch in tripartite arrangement with square-headed flanking window openings, cut-granite Doric doorcase having engaged columns supporting open-bed pediment, timber panelled door having leaded stained glass overlight, and cut-stone sills to flanking openings having fixed-pane fittings with leaded panels. Segmental-headed door opening to rear (north) elevation with rock-faced cut-granite block-and-start surround, glazed timber double doors having sidelights on panelled risers, and fanlight. Interior with timber panelled shutters to window openings. Set back from road in own grounds.
Appraisal
A well-appointed substantial house the irregular footprint of which indicates the protracted provenance of the composition: occupying the site of a mid eighteenth-century country house the present range was adapted from the servants’ wing of an early twentieth-century replacement house built for Major J.E.B. Loftus (n. d.) to designs prepared by a local architect named Morrisey (fl. 1906) and destroyed by fire in the mid twentieth century (no evidence of the alterations intended to be carried out (1917) under the direction of Douglas Lyons (fl. 1917) survive in recognisable form in the present house). Constructed entirely in granite displaying an appealing honey-like hue sourced from a quarry in the grounds the architectural design value of the composition is enlivened by the presence of carved dressings producing an elegant pared-down Classical theme. Having subsequently been well maintained the house presents an early aspect with the original fabric surviving in place both to the exterior and to the interior. Forming the centrepiece of a middle-size landholding (including 12402512 – 3/KK-25-12 – 3) the house remains of additional importance for the long-standing connections with the Loftus and the Murphy families.
https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/12402512/mount-loftus-house-mountloftus-co-kilkenny
Farmyard complex, established 1750, including: (i) Detached seven-bay single-storey outbuilding with attic with single-bay single-storey gabled higher central bay. Extended, pre-1903, comprising five-bay single-storey split level lateral range to left terminating in two-bay single-storey end bay having pair of camber-headed carriageways. Pitched slate roofs (gabled to central bay) with clay ridge tiles, rendered coping to party wall to end bay, rooflight, timber bargeboards having finial to apex, and cast-iron rainwater goods on timber eaves. Random rubble stone walls. Round-headed door openings in grouped (three-part) arrangement with lunette flanking window openings having cut-limestone surrounds rising into voussoirs incorporating keystones, tongue-and-groove timber panelled doors having blind overpanels, cut-limestone sills to window openings, cut-limestone voussoirs incorporating keystones, and fixed-pane timber windows. Pair of camber-headed carriageways to end bay with cut-limestone surrounds incorporating keystones, and no fittings. Set back from road in grounds shared with Mount Loftus (House). (ii) Detached four-bay single-storey outbuilding. Pitched slate roof with clay ridge tiles, rooflights, and cast-iron rainwater goods on rendered eaves. Unpainted rendered walls over random rubble stone construction. Square-headed window openings with rendered surrounds, and fittings not discerned. Round-headed door openings with rendered surrounds, and fittings not discerned. (iii) Detached three-bay single-storey stable building with half-attic. Hipped slate roof with clay ridge tiles, rooflight, and replacement uPVC rainwater goods on rendered eaves. Unpainted rendered walls over random rubble stone construction. Lunette window openings with cut-limestone sills, rendered surrounds, and timber panel fittings. Round-headed door openings with rendered surrounds, and timber doors.
Appraisal
A collection of middle- and large-scale agricultural outbuildings forming a self-contained farmyard complex representing one of the final vestiges of the earliest phase of the development of the Mount Loftus (House) estate following the loss of the original mid eighteenth-century house. Originally composed on a somewhat formal symmetrical plan the architectural design value of a substantial outbuilding is identified by elegant attributes including the grouped arrangement of the openings, and so on. Having been well maintained further ranges retain the original composition attributes together with most of the historic fabric, thereby maintaining the character of a complex contributing significantly to the group and setting values of the grounds.
https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/12402513/mount-loftus-house-mountloftus-co-kilkenny
Gateway, reconstructed 1906, possibly incorporating fabric of earlier gateway, 1750, comprising pair of granite ashlar piers with stringcourses supporting inscribed friezes, carved cornices supporting cut-granite capping, wrought iron double gates having cast-iron finials, sections of wrought iron flanking railings incorporating pedestrian gates, granite ashlar outer piers with stringcourses supporting inscribed friezes, carved cornices supporting cut-granite capping, unpainted rendered curved flanking walls with cut-granite coping, granite ashlar terminating piers with stringcourses supporting inscribed friezes, and carved cornices supporting cut-granite capping. Road fronted at entrance to grounds of Mount Loftus (House).
Appraisal
An elegantly-appointed Classically-detailed gateway displaying particularly fine stone masonry in notoriously difficult granite sourced from a quarry on site. Iron work incorporating cast-iron embellishments further enhances the aesthetic appeal of a composition making a positive visual statement at the entrance to the grounds of Mount Loftus (House).
The Landed Gentry & Aristocracy: Kilkenny. Volume 1. Art Kavanagh, 2004.
Loftus of Mount Loftus
p. 146. It is reputed that the Mount Loftus estate or Mount Eaton as it was then known was won in a card game. The then owner was Mr John Eaton, a grandson of the original grantee of the same name. It would appear that the winner of the game was Rt Hon Nicholas Lord Loftus, 1st Viscount Ely. The difficulty encountered by the Rt Hon Nichoals in getting actual possessin would lead one to believe taht the story of the card game was very probably true.
Lord Loftus was compelled to seek legal redress and obtained a Chancery suit. Eaton refused to quit. …
p. 148. Edward Loftus, an illegitimate son of Sir Nicholas, by his Irish housekeeper Mary Hernon, became the beneficiary of John Eaton’s largesse. At a later stage a fine house was built and the name was changed to Mount Loftus.
p. 150. Queen Elizabeth granted Kilcloggan (in Co Wexford) which was a preceptory of the Knights Templars, and subsequently of the Knights Hospitallers, to Sir Dudley, where he lived until his death in 1616. Kilcloggan, now known as Templetown was said to have been granted to the Knights Templar by one Concubhair O’Mordha of Laois in the 12th century and is the only Templar foundation in Ireland that resulted from Gaelic patronage. After the dissolution the property was leased to James Sherlock of Waterford and later granted to Dudley Loftus.
Irish Historic Houses 