Bellmount House

Detached five-bay two-storey country house, built c.1820, having enclosed bowed single-storey Doric entrance porch to the centre of the main façade (south), a full-height canted bay projection to the east elevation and a two-storey return to the rear (north). Hipped natural slate roof with rendered chimneystacks, aligned behind roof ridge, having terracotta chimney pots. Cast-iron rainwater goods with lion headed brackets to eaves. Ruled-and-line rendered walls. Square-headed window openings with cut stone sills and six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows. Wyatt window to the centre of the first floor, above porch, and to the rear return. Square-headed doorcase to centre of porch with glazed timber double doors having margin glazing pattern. Doorcase flanked by sidelights. Large Lantern light over roof to junction of front block and rear return. Wrought-iron railings to east. Stable block to north (15402506). Located in extensive mature grounds to the southwest of Mullingar.

A fine and well-proportioned country house, of early nineteenth-century appearance, which retains much of its early form and fabric. This house is distinguished by the graceful proportions and the handsome bowed entrance porch, which adds interest to an otherwise plain front façade and helps to elevate the form of this building from a typical gentleman's residence to a small country mansion. The lantern to the junction of the front section and the rear return is an interesting feature of note. This house was originally built as a dower house to the now demolished Ladestown House to the south. The form of this house is quite similar to Glancarra House, which is located a few miles to the northwest, hinting perhaps that the architect involved here, J. B. Keane, may have been responsible for the designs to this house at Bellmount too. Bellmount House was the Seat of the O'Reilly Family, descended from Capt Adams who married the daughter and heiress of Thomas O'Reilly of Roebuck, Co Cavan. It was later in the ownership of the Gainsford-St Lawrence Family of Howth Castle, Dublin. Bellmount House is an important element of the architectural heritage of Westmeath and forms an interesting group with the stable block and ancillary structures to the north (15402506).