House in Ballykenny, County Longford

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 three-bay two-storey house over raised basement (to rear_, built c. 1840, with single-bay two-storey flat-roofed return to rear (west). Hipped natural slate roof with a central pair of rendered chimneystacks having terracotta chimney pots. Roughcast rendered finish over squared roughly coursed rubble limestone construction, render removed from front elevation (east). Square-headed window openings with tooled limestone sills, roughly dressed limestone surrounds and lintels, and replacement windows. Central round-headed door opening to main elevation (east) with roughly dressed limestone surrounds, replacement timber panelled door and having petal fanlight over with stained glass detailing. Doorway reached by flight of concrete steps flanked to either side by decorative wrought-iron railings. Set back from road in extensive mature grounds to the northwest of Longford town, with garden to front. Detached three-bay single-storey outbuilding to yard to rear (west) with corrugated-metal roof having rendered chimneystack, rendered walls, square-headed openings and elliptical-headed carriage arch with timber fittings. Rubble limestone boundary walls to the west. Main entrance to the east having rendered gate piers (on square-plan) and rendered boundary walls.

This well-proportioned middle-sized house, of mid-nineteenth century date, retains its early character and form despite some alterations and the loss of original fabric to the openings. The symmetry and order displayed in the main façade are typical of the traditional gentleman's residence. The round-headed doorway flanked by square-headed window openings with paired chimneystacks is a recurring motif in the Irish countryside. The round-headed doorway provides a central focus to the main façade and retains an interesting petal fanlight with stained glass detailing (of probably late nineteenth-century date). Set in mature grounds, this house is nonetheless visible from the road and provides an interesting architectural feature in the landscape to the northwest of Longford Town. The simple single-storey outbuilding to the rear has a vernacular character that contrasts with the more formal architectural pretensions of the main house, and is an integral element of the setting. The present house replaced an earlier house to site, which was located to the rear (west) of the present dwelling, and attached to the west side of the single-storey outbuilding (Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map 1838).

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 13401308

Places near here

Photo credits

National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Maker not stated on source page, nigelborrington.com
Maker not stated on source page, www.pinterest.com
Maker not stated on source page, field-monuments.galwaycommunityheritage.org
Maker not stated on source page, stuffnobodycaresabout.com

Ballykenny BridgeBridge · 643 yd

Explorer Tom Ballykenny Bridge in Ballykenny is built so well it might outlive us all. It would bring a cheese platter to any party…

Brianstown HouseGates/railings/walls · 796 yd

Explorer Tom Brianstown House gates sing opera because they were built for an audience that left a long time ago. The limestone…

water pump1.1 mi

Explorer Tom Water pump in Lisnabo is hiding a ridiculous smuggling story where people used to hide contraband inside the curved…

Lisnabo SchoolSchool · 1.1 mi

Explorer Tom Lisnabo School in Lisnabo was too big for a school, so it must have been a house with a secret curriculum. Saint…

Curry HouseHouse · 1.1 mi

Explorer Tom Curry House in Corry has a dog that’s definitely in charge, wearing a little crown made of bark. The house is just the…

Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in LismoreFairy fort / earthen ringfort · 1.4 mi

Explorer Tom Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Lismore thinks the rabbits are plotting to take over the whole ridge. They’re just…

post box1.4 mi

Explorer Tom Post box in Kilmore Lower’s first owner planned to escape via a secret tunnel under the pavement. It still wears Queen…

Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Cartrons (longford By.)Fairy fort / earthen ringfort · 1.5 mi

Explorer Tom Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Cartrons was saved by a hero nobody remembers. Now it’s just levelled out, hiding on…

Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in CartronlebaghFairy fort / earthen ringfort · 1.6 mi

Explorer Tom Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Cartronlebagh has been feuding with the rain for centuries. It’s so waterlogged now…

Mullagh HouseHouse · 1.7 mi

Explorer Tom Mullagh House saw a dramatic argument about whose side of the house was better. It has contrasting elevations because…

CastleCastle, unclassified · 1.7 mi

Explorer Tom Castle in Moneylagan would win the county fair by doing a dramatic tumble. It’s a bit of a show-off, even if nobody…

Clondra GraveyardGraveyard · 2.1 mi

Explorer Tom Clondra Graveyard has a secret talent for making your phone battery drain at an alarming rate, which is either magic or…

More historic places in County Longford · All of County Longford

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

Explore the map1,095,414 places to discover