Survey Data
Reg No
15702638
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Historical, Social
Previous Name
Bell Grove House
Original Use
Farm house
In Use As
Farm house
Date
1700 - 1742
Coordinates
298822, 139274
Date Recorded
20/08/2007
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Detached five-bay two-storey farmhouse with dormer attic, extant 1742, on a T-shaped plan with single-bay (two-bay deep) two-storey off-central return (east). Damaged, 1798. Leased, 1853. Occupied, 1911. Renovated, 1990. Undergoing "restoration", 2007. Replacement pitched artificial slate roof on a T-shaped plan centred on gablets to window openings to dormer attic with ridge tiles terminating in rendered chimney stacks having stringcourses below concrete capping supporting terracotta tapered pots, and uPVC rainwater goods on rendered red brick header bond stepped eaves. Creeper- or ivy-covered roughcast battered walls on rendered plinth. Square-headed off-central door opening with cut-granite surround having chamfered reveals framing timber panelled door. Square-headed window openings with cut-granite sills, and creeper- or ivy-covered surrounds framing replacement uPVC casement windows replacing six-over-six timber sash windows without horns. Interior undergoing "restoration", 2007, including (ground floor): off-central hall retaining carved timber surrounds to door opening framing timber panelled doors; and carved timber surrounds to door openings to remainder framing timber panelled doors with timber panelled shutters to window openings. Set in landscaped grounds.
Appraisal
A farmhouse erected by John Beale (1682-1742) representing an important component of the early eighteenth-century domestic built heritage of the outskirts of Enniscorthy with the architectural value of the composition suggested by such attributes as the deliberate alignment maximising on scenic vistas overlooking rolling grounds with the windmill-topped Vinegar Hill as a picturesque backdrop in the near distance; the compact plan form off-centred on a restrained doorcase demonstrating good quality workmanship in a silver-grey granite; the mildly esoteric proportions of the openings on each floor; and the high pitched gabled roofline. Having been well maintained, the elementary form and massing survive intact together with quantities of the original fabric, both to the exterior and to the interior: however, the introduction of replacement fittings to most of the openings, in the process removing crown or cylinder glazing panels etched ("1761") by John A. Beale (----), has not had a beneficial impact on the character or integrity of the composition. Furthermore, adjacent outbuildings (extant 1903) continue to contribute positively to the group and setting values of a neat self-contained ensemble having historic connections with the Beale family including George Beale (1719-87; The Parliamentary Register 1785 IV, 76); and the Kavanagh family including John Kavanagh (1841-1910), 'Farmer late of Drumgold Enniscorthy County Wexford' (Calendars of Wills and Administrations 1912, 308); and Charles Kavanagh (----), 'Farmer' (NA 1911).