Designed landscape - summer house

The National Monuments Service's description

The ruins of a late 18th or early 19th century Summer House standing on top of an artificial mound covering an icehouse (WM029-052----) stands inside a walled woodland area. An entrance gate and pathway though the woodland to north-north-east provides access to Moydrum Castle (NIAH Reg. No. 15402917; RPS No. 029-006) and pond located immediately to NNE. The pond now dried up is clearly shown on the 1837 edition of the OSi six-inch. The walled garden (NIAH Reg. No. 15402918; RPS No. 029-007) of Moydrum Castle stands 78 metres to the south. A range of buildings forming a quadrangular-shaped area stand immediately to the south of the walled woodland area and is annotated ‘Hill House’ on the 1837 ed. OSi six-inch map.
Present remains consist of a square-shaped summer house (ext. dims. 5.72m N-S x 5.77m E-W) standing on top of an earthen mound covering an icehouse which is entered through an entrance passage at base of mound on north-west side. The summer house stands one story high and is entered through a doorway at NNE accessed via a series of stone steps. This doorway faces a walkway running through the woodland towards a broken-out entrance in the northern wall enclosing the woodland as shown on the OSi 25-inch map.
The summer house has an external square-shaped plan built with redbrick-lined internal wall and rubble stone wall (T. 0.43m) covered with a gravel dash render. The flat-headed doorway (H 2.1m; Wth 1.08m) at NNE leads into a circular-shaped chamber (diam. 5.02m) with brick-lined fireplace in southern angle. This room is lit by three flat-headed brick-lined windows placed centrally in the east, south and west walls. The doorway is flanked on either side by flat-headed semi-circular shaped recesses or blind niches the surface of which is covered with well-preserved whitewashed lime-plaster.

Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien

Date of upload: 27/07/2021