Ballymorris House, Ballymorris Road, COOLTEDERY, Portarlington, LAOIS

Description

Detached three-bay two-storey house, extant 1843, on a rectangular plan. ROOF: Hipped slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles, paired rendered central chimney stacks having stepped capping supporting yellow terracotta octagonal pots, and cast-iron rainwater goods on rendered eaves with cast-iron downpipes. WALLS: Roughcast walls on tooled limestone ashlar plinth with rendered flush strips to corners. OPENINGS: Segmental-headed central door opening with threshold, timber mullions supporting timber transom, and rendered flush surround framing timber panelled door having sidelights below fanlight. Diocletian Window (first floor) with cut-limestone sill, timber mullions and rendered surround framing one-over-one timber sash windows. Square-headed window openings in tripartite arrangement with cut-limestone sills, timber mullions, and concealed red brick block-and-start surrounds with timber lintels framing nine-over-six (ground floor) or six-over-six (first floor) timber sash windows having three-over-two (ground floor) or two-over-two (first floor) sidelights. INTERIOR: Interior including central hall retaining carved timber surrounds to door openings framing timber panelled doors, timber staircase, and carved timber surrounds to door openings to landing framing timber panelled doors. SITE: Set in landscaped grounds. NOTE: Built by Joseph Harte (d. 1843) and described (1851) as a 'mansion-house recently built [and] in perfect order' (Freeman's Journal 21st October 1851, 1). Purchased by Thomas Wright (1796-1881), County Engineer for Queen's County (The Dublin Evening Post 17th March 1853, 3), and subsequently occupied by Patrick Paul Wright (1871-1916), Assistant County Surveyor for Queen's County (NA 1901; NA 1911).