Survey Data
Reg No
40847027
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Technical
Original Use
Demesne walls/gates/railings
In Use As
Demesne walls/gates/railings
Date
1760 - 1800
Coordinates
187458, 376378
Date Recorded
01/11/2007
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Estate boundary wall associated with The Hall (see 40847025), erected c. 1780. Composed of flat-bedded dry-stone random rubble stone masonry having beach/wave-eroded random stone coping over in places. Some cement repair to coping. Ashlar gate-piers (on square-plan) having stepped coping over to the east and north-east of house; wrought-iron double gates to gateway to the east and replacement metal gates to gateway to the north-east. Runs along roadside to the south and south-east of house, and to the south of Mountcharles.
Appraisal
These boundary walls, of indeterminable date, surround the former demesne land associated with The Hall (see 40847025). They survive in good condition, which is testament to the quality of their original construction. Demesne walls are becoming increasingly rare in Ireland, making this a relatively rare and largely intact example of its type. These walls are well-built using local rubble stone and were constructed using dry stone walling techniques, and are of some technical merit. The use of random beach/wave-eroded stones for the coping along the sections adjacent to the sea is an attractive and unusual feature. The simple but good quality and well-built ashlar gate piers also survive in good condition, and provide focal points along the length of the wall. This estate wall forms part of a collection of structures associated with The Hall along with the main house (see 40847025), the complex of outbuildings (see 40847024), the walled garden (see 40847026) and with the entrance gateway (see 40847023) and attendant gate lodge (see 40847022) to the north-east. It is an attractive feature in a idyllic seaside setting to the south of Mountcharles, and is an integral, if subtle, element of the built heritage of the local area.