Survey Data
Reg No
13402503
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural
Original Use
Gates/railings/walls
In Use As
Gates/railings/walls
Date
1870 - 1900
Coordinates
202927, 257402
Date Recorded
06/09/2005
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Rubble limestone boundary walls associated with Summersit House (13402501), built c. 1885. Vernacular gateway to the south end of the wall comprising a pair of roughly dressed limestone gate posts having a pair of wrought-iron flat bar gates. Gateway to the north, serving house, comprising a pair of rebuilt rubble limestone gate piers (on square-plan) having reused wrought-iron flat bar gates. Recent stile to wall to north. Holy well (‘Lady Well’ - LF025-001001-), holy bush (LF025-001003-), and mass rock/penal altar (LF025-001003-) located adjacent to north end of north wall. Located to the east of Summersit House, and to the west of Ballymahon.
Appraisal
These simple but robustly constructed rubble limestone boundary walls make a positive contribution to the landscape at Derrydarragh. Their construction in local rubble/field stone is typical of traditional walling techniques. The boundaries/roads are marked on an 1838 map of the area (Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map). Set on quiet roads and by the picturesque shore of Lough Ree, encircling a mature wooded landscape, they are enhanced by their attractive surroundings. The simple vernacular gateway to the south end of the wall, which probably dates to the late-nineteenth century and may have been erected at the same time Summersit (13402501) was constructed, adds considerably to the setting and is significant in its own right. This wall and the gateways now form part of a group of sites associated with Summersit, and are an integral element of the built heritage of the area.