Carrigglas manor-fall from grace

jesse pinkman

I haven't been inside the grounds of Carrigglass in over twenty years, & I'd often wondered when ever passing by, just what state the old house was in now & how far had they ever gotten with the 'development' before the money switch was flicked-off so to speak, so on eventually seeing this recent & poignant video of it on youtube, I must admit . . Twaz a bit of a shock.

I don't want to keep on banging the 'Oh! look at what they've done' drum.

We need to look beyond all that now, to more of a 'what can be done to protect & salvage whats left?

Its a pity we couldn't encourage a body like The National Trust to take an interest & save this fine historic building . . instead of more quick buck developers.

Published on Sep 26, 2012 by John O'Neill
The Carrigglas estate (Co. Longford) was owned & occupied by Tessa & Jeffry Lefroy between 1976-2005. Due to a decline in tourism in the 90's,they were unable to upkeep the estate. It was bought by Kearns & Bowen developers to develop into a luxury housing complex complete with golf course. The development is rumored to have cost 180 million euros.
Due to the economic collapse in Ireland within the last five years,all development on the estate ceased in 2006 due to financial problems. This short film shows the consequences of this development. The developers still own the estate and should be responsible for the upkeep of the Manor at least.The manor is listed with Heritage Ireland. Please see Robert O' Byrne's excellent blog content on the history of the manor and estate
http://theirishaesthete.com/category/carrigglas/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYDKZ33pWX8

Sense and Insensibility From Here

Oct8

Almost big enough to serve as a punchbowl, this exquisitely simple piece of Irish silver dates from 1778 and was made in Dublin by Matthew West, a member of the family which continued operating as the country’s oldest jewellers until its Grafton Street premises closed two years ago. Due to be auctioned by Adam’s on Tuesday, the bowl is one of a number of lots coming from Carrigglas Manor, County Longford.
Like a great many Irish houses, the Carrigglas estate has had what can best be described as a chequered history. Originally part of the estates of the Bishop of Ardagh, the lands were acquired by Trinity College, Dublin before passing into the hands of the Newcomen family who operated one of 18th century Ireland’s most successful banks; designed in 1781 by Thomas Ivory, its former premises still stands on Lord Edward Street, Dublin, albeit enlarged in size. Clearly the Newcomens appreciated fine architecture since they commissioned a range of new buildings on their Carrigglas estate from the greatest architect of the period, James Gandon, responsible for both the Custom House and the Four Courts in Dublin. Unfortunately, of Gandon’s designs only the main entrance gates and the double stable yard were completed before the Newcomen Bank went into decline; on its ignominious collapse in 1825, the institution’s head, Sir Thomas Gleadowe-Newcomen, 2nd Viscount Newcomen, shot himself in his office.

Following this catastrophe, Carrigglas was acquired by a successful Irish barrister called Thomas Lefroy. Today Lefroy is best remembered as the possible object of Jane Austen’s amorous attentions and, arising from this, as inspiration for the character of Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice; in the rather fanciful 2007 film Becoming Jane, Lefroy was played by James McAvoy. He certainly knew and saw a great deal of Austen in 1796, being mentioned several times in her letters and on one occasion was described by her as ‘a very gentlemanlike, good-looking, pleasant young man’ with whom she admitted to having flirted. However, the following year he became engaged to Mary Paul, sister of a college friend, marrying her on completion of his legal studies in 1799. Ultimately becoming Lord Chief Justice of Ireland in 1852, some fifteen years earlier Lefroy had requested architect Daniel Robertson to design a new house for him at Carrigglas in the Tudoresque idiom. This remained in the hands of successive generations of the family, finally being inherited in the mid-1970s by Jeffry and Tessa Lefroy. Like many other people in their position, they struggled with managing the place and trying to make it generate sufficient income. To this end, they opened the house to day visitors and paying guests. But by the start of the present millennium it was clear the battle for survival was never going to be won and in 2005 the Lefroys sold Carrigglas to a property company which trumpeted its intentions to preserve the estate. Writing in The Times in March that year, Tessa noted that many old Irish houses had been lost over the previous decades but ‘thankfully, Carrigglas’ future is secure: it is going to be turned into a country house hotel development with new homes in the grounds. The planning laws are now so strict that the house and yards must be restored to their former glory.’
Would that this had been the case. Far from taking care of the main house, stable yards and so forth, the only thing Carrigglas’ new owners, Thomas Kearns Developments, did was to strip large stretches of the parkland of trees and start throwing up rows of houses notable for their lack of sympathy with the surroundings. And before this work could be completed, the company ran into financial trouble; by autumn 2007 sub-contractors on the site had withdrawn their labour. The following spring the Bank of Ireland, which had advanced €35 million, called in accountants to assess the project’s viability. It was glaringly obvious this scheme had no future, especially after Thomas Kearns Developments went into liquidation and Carrigglas went into a limbo from which it may never emerge. Over the intervening four years, as these photographs make plain, the place has been allowed to suffer neglect, almost the only attention it receives coming from vandals.





The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage classifies the complex of inter-related structures at Carrigglas as representing ‘one of the most important demesnes in north Leinster.’ This designation did not stop the authorities of Longford County Council from granting permission for the estate’s irrevocable despoilment with that addition of over 300 residential units, a hotel, spa and inevitable golf course. Nor, it would appear, have the same authorities shown much concern for the preservation of what remains, not least the important group of Gandon buildings which are without peer anywhere else in the country. The silver bowl being auctioned on Tuesday will no doubt find a new owner and be much cherished. Regrettably the same good fortune cannot be hoped for Carrigglas. To paraphrase Jane Austen, It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an estate in the possession of a receiver, must be in want of a saviour.





With thanks to Brendan Harte and Mary Morrissey for their photographs.
*Insufficiently dispirited by what you have read and seen here? Watch John O’Neill’s short film showing the present wretched condition of Carrigglas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYDKZ33pWX8&feature=plcp
Addendum: the bowl sold for €4,200.00 at Tuesday’s sale. What price Carrigglas?

baldbear

Terrible. I remember been in the grounds around 1994. Lefroys mother was elderly and needed a carer. My mam was interviewed for the job. I was a kid and was very impressed by the grounds. Its so sad whats happened. Lefroy made some money out of the sale to Kearns. The housing estate needs to be demolished, its just rotting awY and the wall at the road is collapsing. Its a sad state of affairs.Shame on our planning laws and tax incentive 23 that promoted such madness.

bovis

Its an outrage that was allowed to happen. When you consider this and the over 180 ghost estates in Longford - its a scandal that the planners, the developers, the councilors and the county manager, etc havent been brought to some type of justice.

An Ri rua

A worthy thread.

Just one thing though: - The National Trust is a UK body and has no jurisdiction (nor practical interest) in Irish built heritage. More likely to be looking to the Georgian Society on the private side or the OPW on the public side.

JupiterKid

The Manor should be fully restored to its former glory and the ghost estate demolished.

It's a disgrace and frankly an embarrassment to the county that such a beautiful house was allowed to deteriorate and vile jerry built "houses" built on its estate lands.

starskey77

knock the house sell 50% of the land build a hotel problem solved

garfieldsghost

starskey77 wrote: »

knock the house sell 50% of the land build a hotel problem solved

:rolleyes:

Troll alert! The plan in the first place was to put a hotel there... and look how that turned out! Plus, the house is a protected structure.

vdi102

starskey77 wrote: »

knock the house sell 50% of the land build a hotel problem solved

There already is a hotel there!! its shocking to see the manor like that