House - 17th century

The National Monuments Service's description

In Kilkenny City, at the junction of Parnell Street, formerly Flood Street, and Friary Street, formerly Watkins Street, facing New Street. Hogan (1858-9), describes a house on the W side of Flood Street, between it and a small passage into gardens, visible of Rocque's map of 1758. The house, 'is said by the old inhabitants of the neighbourhood to be the oldest house in Kilkenny...From the projection of the chimneys through the gable walls, as well as from the general style of the masonry, the house would appear older than those of the Elizabethan period; and from the depth of the floor under the present level of the street, it must have been built in part of the valley which formed the basin of the lough, and at a time when the bed of this basin was much lower than it was when the waters were carried off, by means of a sewer, to the river' (ibid.). According to O'Carroll (1983, 40), this house was built by Thomas St. Ledger towards the end of the 16th century and, 'The remains of the old building can still be seen behind the garage and on the corner of Friary Street and Parnell Street'.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 19 October 2020

References

O'Carroll, J. 1983 Historic Kilkenny. Kilkenny. Self-published.

Hogan, J. 1858-9 Topographical illustrations of the southern and western suburbs of Kilkenny. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquarians of Ireland 5, 470-72.