Survey Data
Reg No
15318021
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Historical, Technical
Previous Name
Middleton House
Original Use
Building misc
In Use As
Building misc
Date
1845 - 1855
Coordinates
235145, 243084
Date Recorded
28/09/2004
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Detached two-bay single-storey former gas house associated with Middleton Park House (15318019), built c.1850. Now a roofless ruin and out of use. Rubble limestone walls having square-headed openings with yellow brick dressings. Located to the northwest of the main house. Approached down a laneway flanked by a random rubble boundary wall.
Appraisal
The ruins of a former gas house associated with Middleton Park House (15318019), representing an interesting historical insight into the methods/power sources available to heat and light large-scale houses during the mid-to-late nineteenth-century. Production of gas from burning coke or coal was introduced in Ireland from the 1840s onwards and was at the cutting edge of technology at the time. Gas houses were usually located away from the main house to reduce the risk of fire damage. This structure is an interesting addition to an extensive and important collection of structures associated with Middletown Park House (15318019).