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Newtown Lodge circa 1839
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2021 Photograph courtesy of Dominic Lee
Fern Hill
NAME Newtown Lodge/Fern Hill/Fernhill
AREA LOCATION Enniskerry Road, Stepaside.
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of Newtown
Little and it is annotated as Fern Hill on both maps.
GENERAL In 1821 it was for let, in 1826 the walled in demesne was to let by Alderman
Darley on thirty Irish acres with views of Dublin and Killiney and again it was for let in 1829 with
ten acres of meadow ground. It was described as being on the new line of road to Powerscourt
(five miles from Dublin and two miles from Dundrum. 'The house commands extensive sea views
... the house and offices built in the most substantial and convenient manner and the pleasure
ground tastefully laid out". In 1835 the house was described as a cottage/beautiful lodge
remarkable because of its site on the side of the hill. By 1838 it was substantial family residence
with additional out buildings and two gatelodges surrounded by gardens, woodlands, parkland
and farming land on an elevated location overlooking Dublin Bay.
The house itself is a series of rambling interconnecting blocks of one and two stories transcended
by a three storey tower; all of which have developed and evolved over the years. It also has a
peach house built circa 1897. The gardens contain ornamental and native woodland, a rockery,
water features and kitchen gardens, interspersed with exotic trees and shrubs collected from
throughout the temperate world. Two small streams flow through the property and are
diverted via a culvert into a series of artificial ponds and pools forming a water garden within
the rockery and along one of the streams.
The gardens were planted with exotics such as magnolia and Chilean firetrees but it is also home
to an extensive daffodil collection. Originally on 110 acres it now now on about 82 acres. The land
was owned by Sir William Verner and part was leased to Joseph Stock. Alderman Frederick Darley
purchased the lease from Verner in 1812 and his son William purchased the property outright in
1852 through the courts. A new avenue from the south entrance gates to the front of Fernhill
House was constructed in 1858 and the broadwalk constructed by 1860.
A public right of way exists over the southern section of the property by way of an partly
enclosed path and tunnel, from Barnacullia Road to Burrow Road via Walkers Wood. This was a
contentious right of way and was disputed in 1859 by William Darley and by Mabel Darley in 1930.
In 1948 three acres of the pleasure gardens were burned when some children set fire to gorse
nearby.
YEAR BUILT Original lodge built circa 1723, demolished and a house built on a new
site circa 1812
VALUATION No valuation found
NUMBER
OF ROOMS In the 1901 census it is noted as having 15 rooms
ARCHITECT Unknown
SOURCES Thom’s directories, contemporaneous newspapers, Registry of Deeds,
NAI Census & Wills and OSI Maps
OCCUPANTS
Sir William Verner purchased land from the widow of John Kerr
William Verner to Arthur Darley
1812 - 1841 Alderman Frederick Darley
1841 - 1898 William Frederick Darley
1898 - 1912 Edmund Sanders Darley
1912 - 1934 Mabel Darley
1934 -1952 Joseph Walker
1952 - 1980 Ralph (Rafe) Walker
1980 - 2010 Sally Walker
2007 Bee Bee Developments
2008 David Arnold Developments
2015 DLRCoCo
STAFF
1866 - 1869 Henry Watson - Labourer (birth of children)
1869 - 1871 John Shannon -Labourer (birth of children)
1866 - 1876 Peter Rooney - Labourer
1869 John Shannon - Labourer (birth of child)
1877 Anna Nixon died in New York
1901 Roseanna Mooney - Cook
Margaret Finlay - Housemaid
Martha Baker - Housemaid
Bridget Merron - Kitchenmaid
Mary Jane White - Parlourmaid
1907 James Crawford - Chauffeur
1909 Edmund Trouton - Land agent
1911 Martha Mooney - Cook
Annie Egan - Housemaid
Jane Morgan - Housemaid
Norah Coffey - Kitchenmaid
Kate Farrell - Parlourmaid
John Harding - Farm servant (living at gatelodge)
James Keating - Gardener (living at gardeners lodge)
CURRENT
STATUS Extant - Owned by DLRCoCo and in use as a public park.
CONTRIBUTOR © June Bow & Karen Poff
DATE April 2018
NAME Newtown Lodge/Fern Hill/Fernhill
AREA LOCATION Enniskerry Road, Stepaside.
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of Newtown
Little and it is annotated as Fern Hill on both maps.
GENERAL In 1821 it was for let, in 1826 the walled in demesne was to let by Alderman
Darley on thirty Irish acres with views of Dublin and Killiney and again it was for let in 1829 with
ten acres of meadow ground. It was described as being on the new line of road to Powerscourt
(five miles from Dublin and two miles from Dundrum. 'The house commands extensive sea views
... the house and offices built in the most substantial and convenient manner and the pleasure
ground tastefully laid out". In 1835 the house was described as a cottage/beautiful lodge
remarkable because of its site on the side of the hill. By 1838 it was substantial family residence
with additional out buildings and two gatelodges surrounded by gardens, woodlands, parkland
and farming land on an elevated location overlooking Dublin Bay.
The house itself is a series of rambling interconnecting blocks of one and two stories transcended
by a three storey tower; all of which have developed and evolved over the years. It also has a
peach house built circa 1897. The gardens contain ornamental and native woodland, a rockery,
water features and kitchen gardens, interspersed with exotic trees and shrubs collected from
throughout the temperate world. Two small streams flow through the property and are
diverted via a culvert into a series of artificial ponds and pools forming a water garden within
the rockery and along one of the streams.
The gardens were planted with exotics such as magnolia and Chilean firetrees but it is also home
to an extensive daffodil collection. Originally on 110 acres it now now on about 82 acres. The land
was owned by Sir William Verner and part was leased to Joseph Stock. Alderman Frederick Darley
purchased the lease from Verner in 1812 and his son William purchased the property outright in
1852 through the courts. A new avenue from the south entrance gates to the front of Fernhill
House was constructed in 1858 and the broadwalk constructed by 1860.
A public right of way exists over the southern section of the property by way of an partly
enclosed path and tunnel, from Barnacullia Road to Burrow Road via Walkers Wood. This was a
contentious right of way and was disputed in 1859 by William Darley and by Mabel Darley in 1930.
In 1948 three acres of the pleasure gardens were burned when some children set fire to gorse
nearby.
YEAR BUILT Original lodge built circa 1723, demolished and a house built on a new
site circa 1812
VALUATION No valuation found
NUMBER
OF ROOMS In the 1901 census it is noted as having 15 rooms
ARCHITECT Unknown
SOURCES Thom’s directories, contemporaneous newspapers, Registry of Deeds,
NAI Census & Wills and OSI Maps
OCCUPANTS
Sir William Verner purchased land from the widow of John Kerr
William Verner to Arthur Darley
1812 - 1841 Alderman Frederick Darley
1841 - 1898 William Frederick Darley
1898 - 1912 Edmund Sanders Darley
1912 - 1934 Mabel Darley
1934 -1952 Joseph Walker
1952 - 1980 Ralph (Rafe) Walker
1980 - 2010 Sally Walker
2007 Bee Bee Developments
2008 David Arnold Developments
2015 DLRCoCo
STAFF
1866 - 1869 Henry Watson - Labourer (birth of children)
1869 - 1871 John Shannon -Labourer (birth of children)
1866 - 1876 Peter Rooney - Labourer
1869 John Shannon - Labourer (birth of child)
1877 Anna Nixon died in New York
1901 Roseanna Mooney - Cook
Margaret Finlay - Housemaid
Martha Baker - Housemaid
Bridget Merron - Kitchenmaid
Mary Jane White - Parlourmaid
1907 James Crawford - Chauffeur
1909 Edmund Trouton - Land agent
1911 Martha Mooney - Cook
Annie Egan - Housemaid
Jane Morgan - Housemaid
Norah Coffey - Kitchenmaid
Kate Farrell - Parlourmaid
John Harding - Farm servant (living at gatelodge)
James Keating - Gardener (living at gardeners lodge)
CURRENT
STATUS Extant - Owned by DLRCoCo and in use as a public park.
CONTRIBUTOR © June Bow & Karen Poff
DATE April 2018