Survey Data
Reg No
15702627
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Historical, Social
Original Use
Country house
Historical Use
Monastery
In Use As
Country house
Date
1835 - 1845
Coordinates
298147, 134447
Date Recorded
17/08/2007
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Detached three-bay two-storey over basement country house, begun 1838, on a square plan centred on (single-storey) prostyle tetrastyle Greek Doric portico to ground floor; three- or five-bay two-storey side elevations. Occupied, 1901. Leased, 1911. In alternative use, 1914-20. Sold, 1977. Hipped slate roof on a quadrangular plan with clay ridge tiles, pilaster-detailed granite ashlar central chimney stack on a square plan having cut-granite corbelled stepped capping supporting terracotta pots, and cast-iron rainwater goods on overhanging eaves having paired timber consoles. Rendered, ruled and lined walls on rendered chamfered plinth on cut-granite chamfered cushion course on rendered base with rusticated rendered piers to corners supporting rendered band to eaves. Square-headed central door opening behind (single-storey) prostyle tetrastyle Greek Doric portico approached by flight of six cut-granite steps with cut-granite columns having responsive pilasters supporting cornice on garland-detailed frieze below blocking course, and monolithic pilasters framing glazed timber panelled double doors having sidelights on panelled risers below overlights. Square-headed window openings (ground floor) with cut-granite sills on cut-granite "Cavetto" consoles, and concealed dressings with pediments on fluted consoles framing six-over-six timber sash windows. Square-headed window openings (first floor) with sill course, and concealed dressings framing six-over-six timber sash windows. Interior including (ground floor): central hall retaining carved timber surrounds to door openings framing timber panelled doors, columnar screen with paired fluted Greek Doric columns having responsive pilasters, and decorative plasterwork cornice to ceiling on garland-detailed plasterwork frieze; and carved timber surrounds to door openings to remainder framing timber panelled doors with carved timber surrounds to window openings framing timber panelled shutters on panelled risers. Set in landscaped grounds.
Appraisal
A country house erected to a design exhibited (1840) by John Benjamin Keane (d. 1859) of Mabbot Street [James Joyce Street], Dublin, representing an important component of the mid nineteenth-century domestic built heritage of County Wexford with the architectural value of the composition, one 'erected more with a view to internal comfort than external ornament' (Lacy 1863, 472-4), confirmed by such attributes as the deliberate alignment maximising on panoramic vistas overlooking the meandering River Slaney with its rolling backdrop; the near square plan form centred on a pillared portico demonstrating good quality workmanship in a silver-grey granite; the diminishing in scale of the openings on each floor producing a graduated visual impression; and the decorative timber work embellishing a slightly oversailing 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 where contemporary joinery; restrained chimneypieces; and decorative plasterwork enrichments, all highlight the artistic potential of the composition. Furthermore, an adjoining chapel (see 15702628); a curvilinear glasshouse (see 15702629); adjacent outbuildings (see 15702630); and nearby gate lodges (see 15702633; 15702634), all continue to contribute positively to the group and setting values of a self-contained estate having historic connections with the Power family including Sir John Power (1771-1855); Sir James Power (1800-77) 'late of Edermine County Wexford and of Merrion-square North Dublin' (Calendars of Wills and Administrations 1878, 597); and Sir John Talbot Power (1845-1901) 'late of Edermine County Wexford' (Calendars of Wills and Administrations 1902, 393; and a succession of tenants including Colonel Edward Armstrong Johnson (1846-1932), 'Retired Captain [and] Retired Major General [in] Ottoman Service' (NA 1911).