Rathcline House

Detached four-bay two-storey over-basement house on T-shaped plan, built c. 1820, having projecting end bay to the west end of the front elevation (north), with canted single-storey bay window to front, and two-storey over basement return to the rear (south) at the west corner. Single-bay two-storey block to rear at re-entrant corner of return and single-storey over basement flat-roofed return (c. 1956) to south end of rear return. Possibly originally built as a hunting/fishing lodge. Later in use as a convent (Sisters of Mercy), c. 1956 to c. 1970, and now in use as a private house. Hipped natural slate roof with overhanging eaves and having two rendered chimneystacks with diagonal tops/chimney pots with cut stone coping. Sprocketed, hipped copper roof to canted bay window. Painted roughcast rendered walls with cut limestone string course between basement and ground floors. Square-headed window openings with replacement windows and having limestone label mouldings over and tooled limestone sills. Square-headed door opening adjacent to advanced end bay having glazed timber double doors with overlight. Flight of limestone steps to entrance flanked by cast-iron railings set on cut limestone plinth walls. Set back from road in extensive grounds to the south of Lanesborough, close to the northwest shores of Lough Ree. House located on an elevated site. Multiple-bay two–storey outbuilding to the rear having pitched corrugated-metal roof, cast-iron rainwater goods and projecting eaves course. Painted roughcast rendered walls. Square-headed window openings with painted limestone sills, some with two-over-two timber sliding sash windows. Square-headed door openings, some with timber battened doors and half-doors. Square-headed carriage arch to the east end of the main elevation (north) having timber battened double doors. Yard entered to the southeast of house through gateway comprising a pair of roughcast rendered gate piers (on square-plan) with cut stone caps and having wrought-iron gates. Gateway to east comprising a pair of painted roughcast rendered piers (on square-plan) having wrought-iron double gates. Main entrance gates to the north comprising a pair of rusticated (V-profile) ashlar limestone gate piers (on square-plan) having chamfered plinths and stepped capstones, and with decorative cast-iron gates. Round-headed wrought-iron arch over gateway, linking piers, having wrought-iron detailing and a wrought-iron cross finial to head. Rubble stone boundary walls on quadrant plan to either side of gateway (east and west), rubble stone boundary wall to road-frontage.