Palace — Cashel

On the NW side of Main Street, Cashel, recessed from the road. A detached seven-bay two-storey over half-basement former bishop's palace with dormer attic windows, built in 1732 and now in use as a hotel. It has two prinicipal elevations with three-bay breakfronts. It was designed by Edward Lovett Pearce for Archbishop Timothy Godwin. The house has a hipped slate roof with brick chimneystacks having decorative brick pilasters and slate-hung lower parts, dressed limestone parapet walls, carved limestone dentilated cornice, cast-iron rainwater goods and having gable-fronted dormer windows to both principal elevations. The front elevation has flemish bond red brick walls with a dressed limestone platband between floors, sill courses, dressed limestone quoins to ground floor and carved limestone string-course above rubble limestone basement walls. The limestone walls to the rear and side elevations are roughly-dressed with similar dressings to front elevation. There are timber sliding sash windows throughout, with Serlian windows to front ground-floor end bays and square-headed windows elsewhere. The front entrance doorway is approached by a flight of carved limestone steps with cast-iron railings and comprises timber panelled double doors, spoked fanlight and doorcase comprising carved limestone pilasters with carved limestone archivolt and flanked by carved limestone engaged rusticated Ionic columns with carved limestone architrave, fascia and dentillated pediment. The garden façade doorway has a flush dressed limestone surround and lintel with square-headed timber panelled double doors and overlight, approached by sweeping flight of carved limestone steps with cast-iron railings. There is a multiple-bay two-storey addition to the SW with a two-bay two-storey link to the house and with two-bay two-storey and three-bay single-storey additions to the NE. The forecourt to the building has a former school and gate lodge facing each other inside the entrance gates. The gates comprise carved limestone piers flanking vehicular and pedestrian entrances, with carved limestone caps and plinths and cast-iron gates, the latter surviving only to the pedestrian entrances. (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage). Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011