Brittas Ho. — Brittas (tinnahinch By.)

Brittas House current house was constructed in the nineteenth century possibly built on or near to the site of an earlier dwelling of seventeenth century date. The house was described in 1978 as a 'Castellated house of sandstone with limestone dressings built 1869 by Major Gen Rt Hon Francis Plunkett Dunne, MP, to the design of John McCurdy' (Bence-Jones 1978, 48). In 1990 this building was recorded as a 'Castellated house with terraces to E and built of hammer dressed limestone which has fine drafting on its edges. There is a castellated gate tower with entranceway of four pointed arches, the inner three being of brick and the outermost of limestone. The gate tower stands close to the NE angle and gave access to a courtyard. The outer arch of the gateway has limestone roll mouldings. Window at first floor level over the archway is a three-light oriel built with sandstone. The rest of the house is very ruined in some instances down to its foundations' (SMR File 1990). Described by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as the 'Remains of detached country house, built in 1869 to designs by John McCurdy, comprising three-storey over basement tower. Remainder of house dismantled to ground level. No roof to main structure. Sandstone ashlar walls with buttresses and castellated parapet to turret on corbels. Pointed-arch window openings to ground floor, square-headed window openings to upper floors and canted oriel window to first floor with sandstone surrounds. Four-centred arch door opening with hood moulding, fittings now gone. Sandstone and brick internal walls. Set back from road in own grounds; overgrown grounds to site. Group of detached two-storey outbuildings to site, now derelict. Detached gate lodge to site. Gateway to site (at Main Street, Clonaslee) comprising sandstone piers' (www.buildingsofireland.ie). The castle was destroyed by a fire in 1942. The two storey out-buildings of the castellated house may incorporate fabric of the 17th century building. It has been suggested that in the 17th century 'The Dunnes built a mansion at right angles to this, facing north-east. Concurrently, they heightened the thatched building to accommodate the servants' (www.askaboutireland.ie). Alternatively it is possible that the 17th century dwelling which preceded the 19th century castellated house was located at another location within the demesne of Brittas House. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload/ revision: 15 September 2010