Occupying a commanding position overlooking the meandering Boyle River stands the impressive King House, an early eighteenth-century townhouse erected for Sir Henry King MP (d. 1739) to a design attributed to William Halfpenny (d. 1755). Abandoned by the Kings in favour of nearby Rockingham House, and occupied as an infantry barrack throughout the nineteenth century, King House subsequently fell into disrepair and would certainly have been lost were it not for the commendable efforts of Roscommon County Council who carried out a sensitive restoration of the property in the 1980s. Today visitors can get a glimpse into life in the “Big House” and can marvel at the grandeur of impressive reception rooms including the Long Gallery, home to the Boyle Civic Collection, considered one of the finest collections of contemporary Irish art.