House - 16th/17th century

The National Monuments Service's description

At the E end of Main St. at the junction with Barrack St. where it formerly faced the E side of the Everard mansion house (TS070-040019-). This house, indicated on Grace's map of 1708, had been converted into a hotel by c. 1840 and continued to functioned as such until c. 1950 when it closed (O'Keeffe 2003, 10, map 5). It was demolished as a dangerous structure in September/October 1993 and a new building erected on the site, although the S wall, which is a party wall, was retained. A three-storey building (ext. L 15.25m; int. dims. 14.1m x 6.5m; wall T 1m) of roughly coursed limestone rubble, facing W, with irregular fenestration and a chimney at either end. In 1911 the building had been incorporated into the adjacent property to the N (O'Keeffe 2003, 10). This northern portion of the building (int. L 4.6m) was later in date and was distinquished by having thinner walls (T c. 0.65m) and higher ceilings. Prior to its demolition some of the render on the façade was removed, revealing at ground-floor level the northern jambs of a moulded limestone doorway (H 1.7m) with a broken threshold at the base and an original window. The doorway, which was at the northern end of the original building, appears to haven been broken through when a two-light window was inserted in the 19th century. Portion of the moulded door jamb was reused in the stone and brick fill surrounding the inserted window. At first-floor level there appear to have been three original windows in the W façade and one at the S end of the E wall (O’Keeffe 1995, 92 and fig. 52). Also in the E wall there was a fireplace (H 1.72m including lintel) with a moulded limestone surround, similar to that on the doorway. Though the northern portion of the fireplace was in good condition, most of the lintel was missing and the southern portion was damaged. A similar fireplace was subsequently uncovered in the S wall and another in the same wall at second-floor level, both were reportedly blocked up, but retained, within the new building (O’Keeffe 1995, 92). The building had wooden floors throughout, supported on corbels on the E and W walls. O’Keeffe (1995, 92) suggests that there may have been an original stairs to the second floor in the SE angle of the building. The internal partitions at first and second-floor level were of light timber filled with mud and straw (ibid.). The mouldings suggest a late 16th/early 17th-century date for this house. (Farrelly and FitzPatrick 1993 unpublished field notes and photographs).

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 10 March 2015

References

O'Keeffe, T. 2003 Historic town atlas no. 13: Fethard. Dublin. Royal Irish Academy.

Farrelly, J. and FitzPatrick, E. 1993 Urban archaeological survey - county Tipperary (South Riding). Unpublished field notes, including photographs, for report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

O'Keeffe, T. 1995 Fethard, Co. Tipperary: an archaeological and historical survey. Unpublished report for The National Heritage Council.