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
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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.
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.