House - 17th century

The National Monuments Service's description

On the N side of the Main Street at the E end of the town, opposite the main entrance to Gowran Castle. This two-storey, multi-period house has an armorial plaque (KK020-060015-) in its E gable. The plaque bears the initials J.K. and E.N. inscribed on a shield with the date of either 1630 or 1650. An early 18th-century map of Gowran shows a large two-storey house at roughly this location, the largest house in the town, belonging to a ‘Mr Bayly’ (White 1710/11).
Described in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage [Reg No. 1231005] as, ‘a detached three-bay two-storey house, c. 1800, on a corner site with single-bay single-storey flat-roofed advanced porch to centre ground floor. Extensively renovated and extended, c. 1875, comprising single-bay two-storey recessed end bay to left having canted bay window to ground floor, single-bay two-storey double-pile advanced flanking range to right incorporating fabric of original block with canted bay window to ground floor, single-bay two-storey parallel range along rear (north) elevation (forming projecting bay to side (east) elevation), and with two-storey canted bay window added to front. Extended, c.1900, comprising four-bay single-storey return to north. Hipped slate roofs (hipped and gabled double-pile (M-profile) slate roof to advanced flanking range) with clay ridge tiles, rendered chimney stacks, and cast-iron rainwater goods on rendered eaves. Part ivy-clad unpainted fine roughcast lime rendered walls over rubble limestone construction with moulded rendered cornice to porch, and broken course tooled cut-limestone walls to return. Square-headed window openings (including to canted bay windows) with cut-limestone sills, panelled mullions to canted bays windows supporting cornices, and one-over-one timber sash windows having some timber casement windows to canted bay windows (camber-headed window openings to return with cut-limestone sills, tooled limestone ashlar block-and-start surrounds, and one-over-one timber sash windows). Square-headed door opening to porch in tripartite arrangement in camber-headed recesses with glazed timber panelled door having fixed-pane flanking sidelights (camber-headed door opening to return with three cut-limestone steps, tooled limestone ashlar block-and-start surround, and timber panelled door)’.
While externally it is largely 19th century in appearance, it is likely that the core of this house dates to the 17th century, that it is the same house as that drawn on the White map and that the armorial plaque provides the date for its construction.

See attached:
KK020-060014-_01 White map of Gowran (1710/11) with building highlighted.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 25 March 2021

References

White, J. 1710/11 A survey of the towne and lands of Gowrane in the County of Kilkenny belonging to Mr Lewis Chaigneau of Dublin merch[an]t made in the presence of Mr David Chaigneau Mr John Bayly Mr John Sandbeach Sam[ue]l Bingham James Quigly and Mr James White the surveyor; and the said lands contain arable pasture and meadow one thousand two hundred ninety seven acres thirty five perches plantation measure over and above all deductions for intermixt lands and common high roads as appeareth by a table of reference hereunto. Surveyed in the month of March 1710/11 by a scale of 20 p[er]chs. Ja: White. NLI MS map 21.F.55 (4).