Clare Mount, house in County Donegal

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Detached three-bay two-storey over basement house, built c. 1870, with single-storey return to rear. Pitched natural slate roof with clayware ridge tiles, smooth rendered decorative gable ended chimneystacks with moulded cornice coping over smooth rendered plinths; moulded stringcourse below paired decorative timber brackets supporting extending timber fascia and soffit boards, cast-iron rainwater goods. Smooth rendered walls with smooth rendered articulated banded channelled quoins, cornice stringcourse to first floor, and smooth rendered plinth course. Segmental-arch headed window openings to first floor with horned timber sash windows to end bays and tripartite window with one-over-one horned timber sash windows of equal proportions to central bay; stone sills, with smooth rendered sill course and smooth rendered continuous hoodmoulding with keystone motif. Square-headed window openings to ground floor with lugged flush smooth rendered surrounds and smooth rendered continuous hoodmoulding with keystone motif, two-over-one horned timber sash windows and stone sills. Segmental-arch headed door opening with stucco moulded architrave surround with key stone motif, decorative double-leaf timber panelled doors addressed via flight of stone steps flanked by smooth rendered walls topped with ashlar stone coping. Set within own grounds with courtyard of contemporaneous multi-bay single-storey outbuildings with pitched slate roofs with clayware ridge tiles, roughcast rendered walls and square-headed openings with matchboard timber doors. Located to the south-west of Moville, close to the Lough Foyle coastline.

This fine and well-proportioned late Victorian House, dating to the second half of the nineteenth century, retains its original form and character despite being now out of use. Its visual expression and integrity is enhanced by the retention of salient fabric such as the natural slate roof, original timber double doors, and the timber sliding sash windows. The front elevation is enlivened by the extensive render detailing, particularly the surrounds to the openings, stringcourses and sill courses, and by the block quoins to the corners. The doorway with surround with tripartite window opening over provides a strong central focus to this appealing house. This house replaced an earlier house on the same site that was extant c. 1837 (Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map). This house was the residence of a Thomas Holdon or Holton Esq in 1881 (Slater’s Directory). The Holdon or Holton family were in residence here in 1860 when a William Holton of Claremont passed away, aged 80 years. This may have been at the earlier house to site. This building is an integral element of the built heritage of the local area, and is a feature of some appeal in the landscape to the south-west of Moville overlooking Lough Foyle to the south. Sensitively restored, this would make a fine residence. The simple rubble stone outbuilding to site adds significantly to the setting and context, and completes this composition. One of these outbuildings may be an earlier house to site, converted to an outbuilding following the construction of the new house.

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 40902132

Places near here

Photo credits

National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Corinna Schleiffer, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
danny kearney, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Oliver Dixon, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Attila Terbócs, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
DAYVEHUSE, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kenneth Allen, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Kenneth Allen, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Clare BridgeBridge · 608 yd

Explorer Tom Clare Bridge crosses the river on one round arch edged with rock-faced stones and chiselled margins. That masonry resembles Board of Works bridge construction from about 1847 to 1860. The inventory says it may have replaced or heavily altered an earlier bridge shown here in 1837, so the neat arch could hide two building chapters.

Old Redcastle Church of Ireland ChurchChurch/chapel · 1262 yd

Explorer Tom Old Redcastle Church of Ireland Church was built in 1747 by a Colonel and his crew, yet it's now just a roofless skeleton. Those maritime gravemarkers out front are the real stars, whispering about sailors who never came home. It’s a bit of a sad spot, but you can still feel the weight of two centuries of prayers here.

CrockavishaneMountain / peak · 2.2 mi

Explorer Tom We have a whole view of Crockavishane in County Donegal, and I promise the scenery is as lovely as this cheeky explorer’s imagination suggests.

Drung GraveyardBurial ground · 2.3 mi

Explorer Tom Drung Graveyard sits on a plateau above Lough Foyle, hiding the ghost of an old ringfort. The earthworks are mostly gone under the headstones, leaving just faint curves to the north and east. It’s a layer cake of history that time has flattened out.

Old CrossCross, High cross · 2.3 mi

Explorer Tom Old Cross is a stark, undecorated ringed cross standing guard outside the graveyard. It’s over two and a half metres tall but completely plain, which makes it feel like a silent sentinel watching over St. Patrick’s ancient foundations.

Cooley CrossMemorial · 2.3 mi

Explorer Tom Cooley Cross stands proudly in Moville, a silent guardian watching over the winds of County Donegal.

Cooly GraveyardGraveyard · 2.3 mi

Explorer Tom Cooly Graveyard held an unusual find during a cleanup in 2010: half a millstone near the east wall. The record says it may have served as a headstone; its original mill has not been located either. I love that one stone brings two questions here, but neither possibility is certain.

Barrons CafeCafé · 2.9 mi

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Rosato’sPub · 3.0 mi

Explorer Tom Rosato’s is on Malin Road, which sounds like a road for people who are lost. Tell them Tom sent you and expect a stare that could peel paint off the walls.

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Quigley's PointHeadland · 4.4 mi

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Inishowen Maritime Museum and PlanetariumMuseum · 5.4 mi

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