Survey Data

Reg No

15306017


Rating

Regional


Categories of Special Interest

Archaeological, Architectural, Artistic, Historical


Original Use

Folly


Date

1850 - 1870


Coordinates

265538, 268453


Date Recorded

13/07/2004


Date Updated

--/--/--


Description

Freestanding single-bay two-storey Gothic Revival-style tower/folly on square plan housing a well, constructed c.1860. Constructed of random rubble limestone with cut stone quoins to corners. Pointed-arch doorway with cut-stone surround to east face with pointed-arch window opening with cut stone surrounds above, Oculus opening with cut stone surround to first floor on north face. Located to the east of the village close to the Clonmellon Lodge and west entrance to Killua Castle.

Appraisal

This interesting and attractive folly was built in by Sir Benjamin Chapman of Killua Castle (and the MP for Westmeath at the time) to enhance the beauty of the village. It was named 'Isaac's Well' after Isaac White, a Blacksmith, who lived next door to the well at the time of its construction. Benjamin Chapman reputedly used architectural fragments from a medieval church in the construction of this building. This folly is one of a number built by the Chapman Family around Killua Castle in in the mid nineteenth-century. It represents an integral component of the Killua estate and makes a picturesque contribution to the village of Clonmellon.