Survey Data
Reg No
15603165
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Historical, Social
Previous Name
Templeshannon Rectory
Original Use
Rectory/glebe/vicarage/curate's house
In Use As
House
Date
1800 - 1824
Coordinates
297845, 140421
Date Recorded
13/06/2005
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Detached three-bay two-storey over part raised basement Church of Ireland glebe house, extant 1824, on a rectangular plan with three-bay full-height side elevations; three-bay two-storey rear (south) elevation. Occupied, 1911. Sold, 2003, to accommodate continued private residential use. Hipped slate roof on a quadrangular plan centred on pitched (gabled) slate roof with clay ridge tiles, paired rendered central chimney stacks having corbelled stepped capping supporting terracotta or yellow terracotta tapered pots, and replacement uPVC rainwater goods on cut-granite "Cavetto" cornice retaining cast-iron downpipes. Rendered, ruled and lined walls. Segmental-headed central door opening approached by flight of seven cut-granite steps between wrought iron railings, cut-granite doorcase with tapered pilasters supporting "Cyma Recta"- or "Cyma Reversa"-detailed open bed pediment framing glazed timber panelled double doors having fanlight. "Venetian Window" (first floor) with cut-granite sill, and cut-granite surround with pilasters supporting archivolt centred on keystone framing three-over-six timber sash window without horns having fanlight with two-over-four sidelights. Square-headed window openings with cut-granite sills, and concealed dressings framing three-over-six (basement), nine-over-six (ground floor) or three-over-six (first floor) timber sash windows. Square-headed window openings to rear (south) elevation centred on square-headed window opening (half-landing) with cut-granite sills, and concealed dressings framing six-over-six (ground floor) or three-over-six (first floor) timber sash windows centred on six-over-six timber sash window without horns. Interior including (ground floor): central entrance hall retaining carved timber surrounds to window openings framing timber panelled reveals or shutters with carved timber surrounds to door openings framing timber panelled doors, and moulded plasterwork cornice to ceiling; reception room (north-east) retaining carved timber surround to door opening framing timber panelled door with carved timber surrounds to window openings framing timber panelled shutters, and moulded plasterwork cornice to ceiling centred on "bas-relief" plasterwork ceiling rose; reception room (north-west) retaining carved timber surround to door opening framing timber panelled door with carved timber surrounds to window openings framing timber panelled shutters, and moulded plasterwork cornice to ceiling centred on "bas-relief" plasterwork ceiling rose; double-height staircase hall (south) retaining carved timber surrounds to door openings framing timber panelled doors, staircase on a dog leg plan with timber "match stick" balusters supporting carved timber banister, carved timber surrounds to door openings to landing framing timber panelled doors, and moulded plasterwork cornice to ceiling; and carved timber surrounds to door openings to remainder framing timber panelled doors with carved timber surrounds to window openings framing timber panelled shutters. Set in landscaped grounds on an elevated site including terrace centred on flight of six cut-granite steps.
Appraisal
A glebe house representing an important component of the early nineteenth-century built heritage of the suburbs of Enniscorthy with the architectural value of the composition, 'a handsome [house] rebuilt by the present incumbent [Reverend Richard Radcliffe (b. 1759)]' (Lewis 1837 I, 603), confirmed by such attributes as the deliberate alignment maximising on panoramic vistas overlooking the meandering River Slaney with the Blackstairs Mountains as a picturesque backdrop in the distance; the compact rectilinear plan form centred on a Classically-detailed doorcase not only demonstrating good quality workmanship in a silver-grey granite, but also showing a simple radial fanlight; the diminishing in scale of the openings on each floor producing a graduated visual impression; and the streamlined pediment embellishing the roofline. Having been well maintained, the elementary form and massing survive intact together with substantial quantities of the original fabric, both to the exterior and to the interior, including some crown or cylinder glazing panels in hornless sash frames: meanwhile, contemporary joinery; restrained chimneypieces; and sleek plasterwork refinements, all highlight the artistic potential of the composition. Furthermore, an adjacent coach house-cum-stable outbuilding (extant 1840); a walled garden (extant 1840); and a nearby gate lodge (see 15603166), all continue to contribute positively to the group and setting values of a self-contained ensemble having historic connections with the Saint Mary's Enniscorthy parish Church of Ireland clergy including Reverend Denis Browne (d. 1864; The Banner of Truth in Ireland 1852 II, 40); Reverend Loftus Nunn AB (d. 1876; Crockford's Clerical Directory 1868, 770); Reverend James Carlile Murdock (d. 1893; Bassett 1885, 39); Reverend Arthur Robinson Barton (1848-1900); and Reverend Henry Cameron Lyster (1862-1932), Dean of Ferns (fl. 1926-32).