House - 17th century

The National Monuments Service's description

A National Monument (No. 528) in State care. Built in the 1630's by Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Stafford, and Lord Deputy of Ireland (1633-7) as a summer residence for himself and as an intended (but never used) residence for King Charles 1. Possibly designed by John Allen, its completion date is uncertain, but by the time of the Civil Survey (1654-6) it was already in ruins (Simington 1952, 66). The Stafford Papers of c. 1665 describe the house as having been, 'A Noble Howse built in Siggenstown by my Lords your ffather which cost £20,000. It is a Double Brick howse all in length, free stone about the Windowes and some Collumes and pavem[en]ts of Marble. The ffront thereof 120 yards and it is the largest and most magnificent front that ever I saw to w[hi]ch proportions the Gardens answere in a Square having a sweet rivulett running through it: fromerly very beautiful in Walles Groves and Trees. But now theise are not only cutt down and defaced but a great [?] of the floores in the middle p[ar]ts of the Howse are fal[l]en downe.' An extremely long (L c. 100m E-W; Wth c. 18m) mainly brick-built, tall single-storey (with possible attic accommodation) over basement structure comprises a central block originally flanked by two slightly projecting (N) wings; the W one of which has been removed. A winged staircase near the E end of the N wall provided access to the main entry, and there were two rear doors; one centrally placed and the second near the W end of the S wall. The basement is walled with mortared stone, lit by mullioned windows and roofed with brick vaulting while the main floor is walled with brick and lit by large, timber framed windows. A central spine-wall (E-W) supported pitched roofs to each side. Massive brick chimney stacks rise from stone bases in the basement, and have wide fireplaces lined with very small red bricks. An ongoing conservation programme was informed by a detailed survey of the building and some archaeological excavation (Licence nos. 01E1109 and 02E1603: www.excavations.ie). Construction debris for the house overlay the truncated remains of a ploughed field, which overlay a number of features (not excavated) probably associated with medieval pottery found in the residual ploughsoil, suggestive of earlier, medieval settlement possibly associated with a spring now located in the basement of the house. One of two large box drains carrying water from the basement (and from the roof via internal downpipes) was found to have failed. During construction, part of the drain close to the house had been exhumed and a temporary sump cut and filled, and a new drain appears to have been quarried into the north-west corner of the basement. The building was originally fully floored, roofed, and plastered internally. Finds suggest the building was roofed with slate and glazed ridge tiles. Part of the formal gardens (KD019-033003-) survive to S and traces of a large, possibly associated enclosure (KD019-030002-) were noted in 1979 (SMR file). An earthen bank set against the S-side of the building, providing a terrace overlooking the garden, had a limekiln (KD019-033004-) built into it, and a midden (KD019-033005-) was also found. (Vicars 1891-5, 19-24; Fitzgerald 1915-17, 491; Strath 1935-45, 343-7; Leask 1941, 148-9; Costello 1946, 422; Costello 1966-7, 268; Killanin and Duignan 1967, 384; Craig 1971, 50-8; Harbison 1975, 122; Bence-Jones 1978, 161; Meagher 1979-80, 118; Fenlon 2011, 207-223)

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy

Date of upload: 13 December 2011

This monument is subject to preservation orders made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 78/1939 and PO no. 3/2000).

References

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1952 The Civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol. VIII: county of Kildare. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

Bence-Jones, M. 1978 Burke's Guide to Country Houses: Volume 1 Ireland. London. Burke's Peerage Ltd.

Killanin, M.M. and Duignan, M.V. 1967 (2nd ed.) The Shell guide to Ireland. London. The Ebury Press.

Leask, H.G. 1941 Irish castles and castellated houses. Dundalk. Dundalgan Press.

Harbison, P. 1975 (2nd. ed. 1992 reprint) Guide to the national monuments in the Republic of Ireland. Gill and Macmillan, Dublin.

Meagher, N. 1979-80 National Monuments Advisory Committees (1974-1979). Journal of the Kildare Archaeological Society 16, 116-19.