St Marys Home

Late 18th century rectangular house, 3-storey over basement, named 'HydePark' on 1842 OS 6-inch map. Entrance front (N) probably originally of 5 bays; central doorway in 3-bay central breakfront. Door surround largely obscured by porch; rounded top has alternate prominent voussoirs ouside fillet and rosette band. Porch has outer panelled door with rope-moulded oval, door surround of timber Ionic columns, both of late 18th/early 19th century appearance; side wndows of porch and inner door surrounds late 19th centuryin appearance. Windows camber-headed, decreasing in size with height; limestone string course divides 1st floor from basement, plaster string course between 1st and 2nd floors; 2 bays deep. View front (S) of 6 bays; at basement level only, 4-bay breakfront outlined by limestone quoins, outer edge of building by limestone bands. In interior, curving staircase of late 18th century appearance stops at 1st floor level; above this are pitch pine late Victorian stairs. Lack of limestone detail above basement suggests that house rebuilt late 19th century, possibly when converted to convent for nuns of adjacent St. Mary's Nursing Home c. 1875. Narrower camber-headed windows with concrete sills in upper storeys suggest furthe rre-building. Now disused. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1994). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009