loftus hall

Huge thread on it here.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=50638275

RonyPonyBah wrote: »

Hey everyone !

Me and Rick will be starting work again this weekend, aiming for mid February release. We are working from an old dvd source as we can't use the original master tapes for unforeseen circumstances.

We got delayed over Christmas due to ricks beautiful new baby ruben.

Heres a semi finished trailer for people that are interested, keep in mind that it's no where near finished.

1:11 lol

Ok so work is well underway on Lofthus as we all know. I'd like to shake the hand of the person who has taken his time and money to put into this building..(could some one point me in the right direction with his name?)

With the already successful Hook Head visiting centre his venture is sure to wreck some rewards. The stretch of 2 mile road from portersgate to the hook has seen its walls repaired and some nice grass margins planted.

Not forgeting Slade castle and the magnificent sweeping views from Herrylock road all the way to the rock beneath the tower.
The Hook has become a romantic picturesque place for all.
Much of its attraction has come from its Natural surrounding, something everyone can enjoy and cost absolutely nothing for Tourists and Irish families.

Anyway Back to loftus hall. Does anyone know if the current owner is getting advice from an Architect or from a national body such as the OPW or local council on Conservation advice????

I'm trying to upload a photo of the house today but i cant. there has been plastering work to the north end and possible back west end. Also all chimleys have been done.

Is there cause for worry that to much restoration will be done and that a sense of Antiquity will be lost from its modern intervention. By all means they serve to protect and enhance the building but will its late 18th century glory be ruined.

Is there any place where i can find out such information or is this work totally private to the owner..

In the best interest of the Building,
from
Local

Here is my story about Loftus Hall:

About 1993, my wife, 2 young daughters (around 1 and 3), and my niece (17 or 18 at the time) went down to check out the lighthouse at Hook's Head. On our way back we saw the Guiness/pub sign, and decided to head over to this cool house on the left for a quick pint and maybe a snack for the girls. The iron sign over the gate at the entrance said "Hoftus Hall", and it looked like a very interesting place.

We drove around to the back right corner of the house, and went into the bar. There were a couple of teenagers over the in corner, who kept to themselves, an elderly lady running the bar, ourselves, and a very large, gray shepherd dog laying on the floor. Other than that, it was empty. The young girls were of course interested in the dog, and the lady kept saying, "Don't touch the dog, don't touch the dog,..". After she served us our pints, we chatted a bit and she asked if we were Americans. She said they were looking at the selling the house, and was wondering if we were interested (presuming, I suppose, that all Americans were quite wealthy). We said we wouldn't be able to, but she wanted to give us a tour, so we said sure.

She led us out a door of the pub into the hallway. It was already in a state of disrepair, and the wallpaper was starting to peel, I think. We went down the hall, and then turned left and right outside a door to the outside. She said thanks, and closed the door behind us. I'm not sure if she was messing with us, but we thought it was kind of strange.
I'm pretty sure the door is the one that you can see in pictures that is at the very left side of the house at the ground level. It's been almost 20 years, so my memory may not be perfect, but that's the door that I remember. Outside the door there was this very small dog that was barking and growling at us viciously. It was a really small dog, so we ignored it and walked back around the house to our car. But it kind of caught us by surprise.

As we drove away, back to the road, my wife, niece, and I all agreed that it was the creepiest, weirdest place we had ever been. I felt like I could hear the music from the old Hammer horror film playing as we drove away. It felt very, very strange. We even joked about booking my parents there if they came to visit over Halloween time.
Anyway, we decided to stop at the Wexford tourist office and ask about this "Hoftus Hall" place. They asked us if we meant "Loftus Hall", and we realized we had mistaken the L for an H. They told us about the ghost stories.

I don't personally believe in ghosts, but none of us had any previous knowledge of the place before we went there. After we left, and before we went to the tourist office, we all agreed that it was the creepiest, weirdest place we had ever been to. The look and feel of the place is perfect for reminding you of all those horror movies you might have seen as a kid and give you a true feeling of it being haunted.

I suppose the lady behind the bar might have been Mrs. Deveraux.
It's a fun story, that I've told a few times over the years. I'm glad to see that the house is getting some attention after many years of neglect. It's a beautiful place. But also quite scary!