The Abbey

Section of rubble stone entrance screen wall, c.1775, with advanced section to centre having pointed-arch integral carriageway, cut-stone stringcourse and battlemented parapet over.Attached single-bay two-storey rubble stone flanking outbuilding, c.1775, to south-west with three-bay side elevation to north-east having battlemented parapet wall forming false fortified tower effect and four-bay single-storey wing to south-east with shallow segmental-headed integral carriageway. Reroofed and renovated, c.1985. Gable-ended roofs (partly behind battlemented parapet wall to north-west). Replacement artificial slate. Clay ridge tiles. Square rooflights, c.1985, to pitch to south-west. Replacement rainwater goods, c.1985. Random rubble stone walls. Random rubble stone battlemented parapet wall with red brick trefoil panels and cut-stone stringcourse. Square-headed window openings. Stone sills. Rubble stone dressings. Replacement timber casement windows, c.1985. Segmental-headed carriageway remodelled, c.1985. Rubble stone voussoirs. Replacement glazed timber fittings, c.1985, incorporating door. Shallow segmental-headed integral carriageway to wing. Rubble stone voussoirs. Pointed-arch blind opening to ground floor to elevation to north-west. Stone sill and surround.Attached single-bay two-storey rubble stone flanking outbuilding, c.1775, to north-east with three-bay side elevation to north-east having segmental-headed integral carriageway, battlemented parapet wall forming false fortified tower effect, screen wall to south-east with shallow segmental-headed door opening and two-bay single-storey wing to south-east. Reroofed and renovated, c.1985, to accommodate commercial use. Gable-ended roofs (partly behind battlemented parapet wall to north-west). Replacement artificial slate. Clay ridge tiles. Replacement rainwater goods, c.1985. Random rubble stone walls. Random rubble stone battlemented parapet wall with red brick trefoil panels and cut-stone stringcourse. Square-headed window openings. Stone sills. Rubble stone dressings. Replacement timber casement windows, c.1985. Segmental-headed carriageway remodelled, c.1985. Rubble stone voussoirs. Replacement glazed timber fittings, c.1985, incorporating door. Pointed-arch blind opening to ground floor to elevation to north-west. Stone sill and surround. Shallow segmental-headed door opening to screen wall. Rubble stone voussoirs.

This complex, comprising an entrance screen wall with flanking outbuildings arranged about a courtyard, is an integral component of the Celbridge Abbey estate. Presenting a symmetrical front on to Clane Road to north-west, the building is an attractive and imposing landmark in the locality, the battlemented parapet walls serving to articulate the skyline. The construction in rubble stone attests to the high quality of stone masonry practised in the locality and the fabric also incorporates early red brick. Renovated in the late twentieth century to accommodate a commercial use, the replacement materials have been installed in keeping with the original integrity of the design, while most of the original form remain intact.