Farm house in Pollwitch, County Wexford

This does not grant access. Most recorded buildings are privately owned; view them only from public ground unless the owner allows entry.

What is recorded here

Read the whole record

Detached four-bay single-storey lobby entry thatched farmhouse with dormer attic, built 1703 or 1723, on a T-shaped plan off-centred on single-bay single-storey gabled windbreak. Extended, 1831, producing present composition. Occupied, 1911. Vacated, 1995. Derelict, 1998. Restored, 1998-2001. Now disused. Replacement hipped oat thatch roof on collared bough construction with chicken wire-covered exposed wire stretchers to ridge having exposed hazel scallops, rendered red brick Running bond central chimney stack, and blind stretchers to eaves having blind scallops. Limewashed lime rendered battered walls; exposed coursed rubble stone to side (east) elevation. Square-headed off-central door opening with rough hewn limestone step threshold, and concealed dressings including timber lintel framing sheet timber door. Square-headed window openings with rough hewn limestone sills (ground floor) or slate sills (dormer attic), and concealed dressings including timber lintels framing three-over-six timber sash windows having part exposed sash boxes. Interior including (ground floor): off-central lobby; kitchen (east) retaining hearth with propped timber Bressamer beam supporting limewashed wattle-and-daub canopy; and parlour (west) retaining timber chimneypiece. Set in unkempt grounds perpendicular to road with limewashed cylindrical pier to perimeter having conical capping supporting replacement tubular mild steel "farm gate".

A farmhouse identified as a particularly important component of the eighteenth-century vernacular heritage of south County Wexford by such attributes as the alignment perpendicular to the road; the lobby entry plan form off-centred on a characteristic windbreak; the construction in unrefined local materials displaying a battered silhouette with a disintegrating limewashed finish revealing substantial sections of "daub" or mud; the disproportionate bias of solid to void in the massing; and the high pitched roof showing a replenished oat thatch finish: meanwhile, aspects of the composition, in particular a pronounced "masonry break", clearly illustrate the continued linear development of the farmhouse in the early nineteenth century. Having been successfully restored with financial support from The Heritage Council, the elementary form and massing survive intact together with substantial quantities of the original fabric, both to the exterior and to the time capsule-like interior where 'the hearth canopy of unfired mud brick is quite possibly unique in Ireland; the raft of wattle-work under the thatch has interesting parallels in Viking housing excavated in 1989 in Wexford [and] the wall oven is an unusual feature' (O'Reilly in Reeners 2003, 126). Furthermore, restructured outbuildings (extant 1840); and the remnants of a hen house (extant 1840), all continue to contribute positively to the group and setting values of a neat self-contained ensemble making a pleasing visual statement in a rural street scene.

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 15704754

Places near here

Photo credits

National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Maker not stated on source page, commons.wikimedia.org
Maker not stated on source page, www.theirishroadtrip.com
Maker not stated on source page, au.pinterest.com
Maker not stated on source page, www.tripadvisor.com
Maker not stated on source page, www.patrickcomerford.com

bridge111 yd

Explorer Tom Bridge in Bog East is hiding a treasure chest, but don’t get your hopes up; it’s definitely just a rusty biscuit tin…

Saint Fintan's Catholic ChurchChurch/chapel · 273 yd

Explorer Tom Saint Fintan's Catholic Church in Courtlands West is hiding a tunnel straight to the local pub, or so the tall tales…

post box324 yd

Explorer Tom Post box in Middletown holds a fake world record for staying still the longest without complaining about boredom. It’s…

CastleCastle, unclassified · 435 yd

Explorer Tom Castle in Courtlands East, County Wexford has a least favourite visitor who was probably a really annoying bishop from…

Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Courtlands EastFairy fort / earthen ringfort · 665 yd

Explorer Tom Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Courtlands East caused a parish argument about where exactly the entrance was located.…

presbytery/parochial/curate's house696 yd

Explorer Tom Presbytery in Courtlands East has a secret talent for hiding its fanlight behind a porch like it’s shy. It probably…

water pump724 yd

Explorer Tom Water pump in Courtlands East in County Wexford is famous for being at the end of a shortcut that actually takes you…

Mayglass CemeteryCemetery · 776 yd

Explorer Tom Mayglass Cemetery in County Wexford was nearly sold to a man who wanted to use it as a stable for his prize-winning…

graveyard/cemetery787 yd

Explorer Tom Graveyard or cemetery in Glebe gave up chocolate for Lent but kept the stone carvings by James Byrne of Clone. It’s got…

Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Bog EastFairy fort / earthen ringfort · 791 yd

Explorer Tom Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Bog East has a prophecy that says it will float away at the next full moon, but it’s…

Castle (in ruins)Castle, tower house · 1.4 mi

Explorer Tom Castle in Mulrankin has a hidden message in its stones that basically says 'stop looking at me' because it’s tired of…

Saint David's GraveyardGraveyard · 1.8 mi

Explorer Tom There’s a ridiculous story about someone smuggling an entire piano through Saint David's other graveyard during a fog…

More historic places in County Wexford · All of County Wexford

Add to this placeAdd a picture Add a detailed tip Add a story

Explore the map1,095,414 places to discover