Belfield UCD 2021 - Courtesy of Declan McGinn
Belfield UCD
NAME Belfield
AREA LOCATION Roebuck within the UCD Campus and usually referred to as Belfield,
Stillorgan Road or Belfield Donnybrook.
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of Roebuck
and it is annotated as Belfield on both. Not to be confused
with Belfield within the Roebuck Park demesne.
GENERAL Belfield was the first estate of the present UCD campus to be acquired by
UCD in the 1930’s. Originally with an entrance from the Stillorgan Road flanked by gatelodges, it
was approached by a long carriage drive.
‘There is on this lot a capitol mansion house two stories high consisting of parlour, drawing room, library,
small parlour, four principal bed chambers, servants apartments, kitchen etc., stabling for ten horses,
coach houses, barn and cow houses with extensive harden, green houses etc. the whole constructed in a
most permanent style and in the most perfect order.’ (Brassington 1832).
A two storey over basement elegant house, with a Portland stone porch with surviving stables. The
house was extended in the 1930's, it has a large entrance hall and the oval room makes a impressive
dining room with it's neoclassical plaster work in the Adams style. Part of Belfield's walled garden
and the original entrance gates still survive on the campus.
There was a well on the grounds surrounded by twelve trees known as the Twelve Apostles Well.
It is now buried under the N11 opposite the Montrose Hotel.
YEAR BUILT circa 1790
VALUATION In 1863 the valuation was 56 pounds and in the 1901 census it is noted as
having 13 rooms occupied by family.
ARCHITECT Ambrose Moore
SOURCES Thom’s directories, contemporaneous newspapers, NAI census & Wills
OCCUPANTS
1790 - 1820 Peter Digges La Touche
1821 - 1852 Thomas Wallace
1852 - 1900 Rev Thomas Wallace
1900 House contents for sale in October
1901 - 1920 Sir John Patrick Lynch
1921 Lady Frieda Lynch
1921 - 1933 Frank Cyril Bernard and his wife Frieda
1933 Acquired by UCD for use as playing fields
1964 UCD Campus
STAFF
1818 Mr Fitzpatrick - Gardener
1901 Kate Higgins - Nurse
Mary O'Neill - Nurse
Kate Harding - Parlourmaid
Lizzy Sharpe - Housemaid
Patrick O'Malley - Groom
1911 Margaret Mooney - Housemaid
1927 Kathleen Harding - Domestic Servant (RIP)
CURRENT
STATUS Part of UCD Campus, The house has been fully restored and is home to the
UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies as well as 'a selection of 20th
century Irish artworks.'
CONTRIBUTOR © Catherine Brugha & Karen Poff
DATE June 2018
AREA LOCATION Roebuck within the UCD Campus and usually referred to as Belfield,
Stillorgan Road or Belfield Donnybrook.
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of Roebuck
and it is annotated as Belfield on both. Not to be confused
with Belfield within the Roebuck Park demesne.
GENERAL Belfield was the first estate of the present UCD campus to be acquired by
UCD in the 1930’s. Originally with an entrance from the Stillorgan Road flanked by gatelodges, it
was approached by a long carriage drive.
‘There is on this lot a capitol mansion house two stories high consisting of parlour, drawing room, library,
small parlour, four principal bed chambers, servants apartments, kitchen etc., stabling for ten horses,
coach houses, barn and cow houses with extensive harden, green houses etc. the whole constructed in a
most permanent style and in the most perfect order.’ (Brassington 1832).
A two storey over basement elegant house, with a Portland stone porch with surviving stables. The
house was extended in the 1930's, it has a large entrance hall and the oval room makes a impressive
dining room with it's neoclassical plaster work in the Adams style. Part of Belfield's walled garden
and the original entrance gates still survive on the campus.
There was a well on the grounds surrounded by twelve trees known as the Twelve Apostles Well.
It is now buried under the N11 opposite the Montrose Hotel.
YEAR BUILT circa 1790
VALUATION In 1863 the valuation was 56 pounds and in the 1901 census it is noted as
having 13 rooms occupied by family.
ARCHITECT Ambrose Moore
SOURCES Thom’s directories, contemporaneous newspapers, NAI census & Wills
OCCUPANTS
1790 - 1820 Peter Digges La Touche
1821 - 1852 Thomas Wallace
1852 - 1900 Rev Thomas Wallace
1900 House contents for sale in October
1901 - 1920 Sir John Patrick Lynch
1921 Lady Frieda Lynch
1921 - 1933 Frank Cyril Bernard and his wife Frieda
1933 Acquired by UCD for use as playing fields
1964 UCD Campus
STAFF
1818 Mr Fitzpatrick - Gardener
1901 Kate Higgins - Nurse
Mary O'Neill - Nurse
Kate Harding - Parlourmaid
Lizzy Sharpe - Housemaid
Patrick O'Malley - Groom
1911 Margaret Mooney - Housemaid
1927 Kathleen Harding - Domestic Servant (RIP)
CURRENT
STATUS Part of UCD Campus, The house has been fully restored and is home to the
UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies as well as 'a selection of 20th
century Irish artworks.'
CONTRIBUTOR © Catherine Brugha & Karen Poff
DATE June 2018