House - 17th century

The National Monuments Service's description

On level, low-lying ground c. 1km to the NW of the village of Newtown Forbes (LF008-038----). In 1623, as part of the plantation of county Longford, Arthur Forbes was granted 1200 acres of land, which included the castle (LF008-012001-) and lands of Clonguish and Lisbrack (Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Jas I, 540-1). In 1624 he constructed an L-shaped house c. 55m to the SSE of the castle (Hastings 1868, 31). As a plantation house it may have been fortified in the manner of Rathcline (LF017-009003-). According to the family history, the first Earl of Granard, who died in 1696, ‘added considerably to his house in Castle Forbes, having built an entire wing’ (ibid., 69). Described in 1682 by Nicholas Dowdall as ‘a fair and spacious house with Lovely Gardens of Pleasure [LF008-012008-]’ (Gillespie and Moran 1991, 2008). The house, with hipped roofs, was two-storeys high over a basement and was lit by twin-light mullioned windows. A large stepped chimney on its S side supported a series of tall diagonal chimney stacks (Casey and Rowan 1993, 189). A fire in 1825 devestated much of the original 17th-century house. It was remodelled and rebuilt in the 18th and 19th centuries and fabric from the earlier house is incorporated into the present house (www.buildingsofireland.ie, Reg. 13303001, last accessed 18 October 2012). An armorial plaque (LF012-008002-), dovecote (LF008-012005-), formal garden (LF008-012008-) and deer park (LF008-039---) are associated.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 23 October 2012