Rathcastle House

Detached three-bay two-storey over a basement house, built c.1815. Hipped roof with graduated natural slates having pair of ashlar limestone chimneystacks to the centre. Coursed rubble stone walls with red brick dressings to the openings, originally rendered. Square-headed window openings with six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows to ground floor openings and six-over-three pane timber sliding sash windows to first floor openings. Cast-iron bars to basement windows to side (north and south) and rear elevations (west). Central round-headed ashlar limestone Ionic doorcase having timber door, leaded sidelights and a leaded radial fanlight over. Entrance reached by flight of cut limestone steps flanked by wrought and cast-iron railings. Set back from road in mature grounds with complex of outbuildings to west (15401718) and main entrance gates to southeast (15401717).

An appealing middle-sized house of graceful late-Georgian proportions, which retains its early form and character. The form of this house is very similar to many Church of Ireland rectories/glebe houses built during the same period. Elegantly composed in the Classical manner the house incorporates a sparsely detailed quality with the composition elements centered on an attractive ashlar limestone Ionic doorcase with its delicate leaded fanlight and sidelights. This house was the residence of a T. Banon, Esq., in 1837. Rathcastle House is an integral component of the architectural heritage of Westmeath and forms the centrepiece of an attractive and interesting group of structures along with the outbuildings to the west (15401718) and the entrance gates to the southeast (15401717).