Survey Data
Reg No
41401327
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Social, Technical
Original Use
Demesne walls/gates/railings
Date
1840 - 1860
Coordinates
265388, 331450
Date Recorded
22/04/2012
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Covered well, built c.1850, set into earthen mounding and facing north. Ashlar limestone facade and semi-circular-plan chamber, having segmental-headed entrance flanked by square-headed niches. Half-ring detail to apex of facade. Half-dome vault to interior. Two stone steps to east side. Well now disused. Located to north of stepped terracing to front of site of Rossmore Castle.
Appraisal
This small well represents the quality and durability of functional structures built in the past. An attractive and well-built structure, it likely to have been erected in the early to mid-nineteenth century, and probably replaced an earlier well. Set low in the ground, close to a river, it played a role in the day-to-day life of the Rossmore Castle estate, providing fresh drinking water. The well would have complimented the style of the mansion built by William Vitruvius Morrison in 1827, a Tudor-style country house with similarly-styled gables. The estate is arguably one of the most interesting demesnes in County Monaghan, retaining many demesne features, including gates and gate lodges, a mausoleum, several masonry bridges, a walled garden and a hydraulic dam.