Prior Park, Borrisokane, 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. 235. “(Otway, sub Otway-Ruthven/IFR; Waller/IFR) A three storey late C18 house built 1779-86 for James Otway to the design of William Leeson. 5 bay front, very similar to the nearby Johnstown, the three centre windows being grouped closely together. Pedimented and fanlighted doorcase; keystones over windows; good cornice. Owing to his extravagance and lavish hospitality, James Otway was obliged to sell the house ca 1820, to George Waller. The interior was much altered ca 1850.”
Prior Park, PRIORPARK, Tipperary North
Detached five-bay three-storey over basement house, built 1779-86. L-plan multiple-bay two-storey hipped roof addition to north-west and three-bay two-storey pitched roof addition to north-east, forming two sides of small yard to rear of house, last side being formed by segmental archway and small hipped slate outbuilding. Central three bays of front are grouped. Hipped slate roof with carved limestone cornice and rendered chimneystacks. Rendered rubble walls with cut limestone coping to plinth. Replacement uPVC windows, with one twelve-over-twelve pane round-headed and one three-over-six pane timber sash windows to rear. Limestone sills, dressed stone surrounds, with slightly-projecting keystones. Some thre-over-three pane and four-over-four pane windows to north-west addition. Cut limestone Doric doorcase with open-bed pediment, cornice, engaged columns and cobweb fanlight, having replacement door. Flight of cut limestone steps with curving parapets. Stable yard to rear of house, accessed through round entrance archway with limestone voussoirs and having brick bellcote over. Eleven-bay two-storey stable block along north side of yard, having advanced single-bay ends, hipped slate roof, rubble limestone walls, segmental-arched carriage openings at centre and ends of main part of façade, flanking groups of three bays. Pitching doors to first floor of rear wall and limestone flag floor to interior. Remains of outbuildings to other sides of yard. Cast-iron vehicularand pedestrian gates to public road, flanked by cut limestone piers.
Appraisal
Built for James Otway to the design of William Leeson, Prior Park is very similar to the nearby demolished Johnstown House, by the same architect. A distinctive feature of both houses is the close grouping of the three central bays on the front façade. This large, rather austere country house underwent alterations to interior c. 1850 and has had recent works carried out to it also. It preserves many original external and nineteenth century internal features. The accompanying stable block to the rear is a fine intact building with features echoing the house.
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/property-list.jsp?letter=P
Built circa 1780 to the design of William Leeson for James Otway, it became the seat of a branch of the Waller family in 1808. A small drawing of the house is included on the 1824 map. Occupied by W. Waller in 1837 and in the early 1850s, when the house was valued at £37 and held in fee. Members of the Waller family continued to reside here until the 1980s. Still a fine country residence.
Paddy Rossmore. Photographs. Edited by Robert O’Byrne. The Lilliput Press, Dublin 7, 2019.
The Otways and the Wallers were two County tipperary families descended from English soldiers who came to Ireland with the Cromwellian army and were rewarded for their services with a grant of land. Both subsequently prospered, their main seats being respectively Castle Otway and Castle Waller (now both ruins) and they intermarried in the eighteenth century. Around 1780 it is though that James Otway, a younger son of the main branch, built Prior Park to the designs of amateur architect William Leeson. The latter is best known for laying out his native town of Westport, Co Mayo, but he is also credited with a number of houses in the NOrth Tipperary/East Galway region (where he lived) including Prior Park. Of three storeys over raised basement, the building is notable for the way in which the austere rendered facade’s three central bays are tightly grouped together, leaving additional windows on either side looking rather adrift. In 1808 Prior Park was bought by George Waller, another younger son, and remained with his descendants until the 1980s. It is still in private hands.”
Irish Historic Houses 