Glebe House in Fethard

This is a five-bay two-storey house (ext. dims. 17.32m N-S; 8.7m E-W; wall T 0.6m) over half-basement and with attic under a pitched roof. It may date to the late 17th or early 18th century and was extended and extensively remodelled in 1796 by Richard Morrison for Reverend Francis Benson (McParland, Rowan and Rowan 1989, 90-91). A pitch-roofed two-bay single-storey over basement addition to the N was added in 1968, with a gable-fronted addition further N and in the mid-20th-century flat-roofed extensions were added to the N and S return. It has a pitched slate roof with gabled dormer window to front and rendered end chimneystacks. The walls are rendered with a cut limestone string course between the half-basement and ground-floor level. The basement (wall T 0.72m) has a shot hole within a circular embrasure, evidence of an early defensive feature as it is now blocked by the steps. The wide chimneystacks on the gable, the return to the rear, and the relative lack of depth in the plan are all typical of a 17th-century building. The irregular placement of the windows is due to very thick interior walls, which may also indicate an early origin. The tall elegant proportions of the windows, with their small panes, however, are typical of the neo-Palladianism of the 18th century. It is probable that these windows were enlarged during the 1796 remodelling, when the main entrance is thought to have been elevated from the ground to the first floor, creating a half-basement, which would explain why, unusually, they are taller than the door. The cantilevered elliptical timber staircase, now the focal point of the house, also appears to date to this remodelling. (www.buildingsofireland.ie) Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 11 November 2013