Foxrock & Foxrock Hotel/Tourists Hotel
The Foxrock Hotel was the brainchild, and the dream of the Bentley brothers. While Foxrock has
fulfilled their dream years on, the hotel was only what could be described as a disaster.
William Frederick Bentley an auctioneer in Bride Street married Ann Butler from Winterfield,
Drumgriffin, Galway in 1821. Her brother was a captain in the 18th Regiment. William sold the
premises at Bride Street to Boileau and Boyd the Chemists. The Bentleys lived at 37 Charlemont
Street near the Grand Canal. William opened an auction room at 161 Capel Street with another at
12 Wood Quay. Of his children, three of his sons became involved in the business: William
Wellington Bentley, John Bentley and Mark Cumberland Bentley.
They opened an office at 110 Grafton Street which was taken over by auctioneers James H North
& Co in 1877. The Bentley family moved to Laurel Lodge and then Frescati in Blackrock. William
Wellington Bentley it thought to have gone into business with Edward Fox who lived at Glenageary
Hall and his brother Anthony Fox who were Stockbrokers, Insurance Agents and Wine Merchants, but
no contemporaneous documents have been found to support this claim. As to Foxrock being named
after their mother Mrs Fox then that can also be disregarded as a seven room house at Foxrock was
built circa 1803 some fifty years before the development began and Foxrock also appears on Duncan's
Map of 1816. During the 1820's and 1830's the land was used by the fox hunting set and in 1853 is
was used by The Kingstown Steeple Chase.
1803 House for sale at Foxrock with seven room and two halls surrounded by an eight foot
wall. It also had three offices sunk into the rock and a well.
1816 Foxrock is named on Duncan's map.
1843 Neville McGowan of Foxrock, Co Dublin, Builder, Contractor, Dairyman, Deake and
Chapman, a bankrupt.
1845 - 1850 Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow and Dublin Railway's application of intent to be made to
Parliament for the instruction and maintenance of a railway through parts of Foxrock
and Kerrymount from Coburg Gardens to Kingstown. Foxrock is listed as a townland
as is Kerrymount.
1846 Foxrock House for Sale (6 bed house)
1848 Patrick Gogarty formally of Melfield and Foxrock is insolvent.
1853 Kingstown steeple chase through the lands of Foxrock
1853 Application for laying of pipes on land belonging to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners by
the Kingstown gravitation waterworks.
1854 Fire at Foxrock dairy belonging to Mr Quigley
1855 Foxrock Lodge for let/sale on 7 acres.
200 acres of grazing to let at Foxrock until March 1856 by James Pim, Corn Merchant of
Burgh Quay.
Rev J R Echlin living at Foxrock Lodge
1857 Foxrock Lodge furniture for sale – agent Littledale
Arson attempt at the home of James Pim of Foxrock
Foxrock granite to be trialled by Dublin Corporation as paving.
1858 Application to parliament to lay aqueduct through Foxrock.
Advert for building plots for detached Villas at Foxrock and Galloping Green by Bentley & Son
of 110 Grafton Street.
Expectation of a new station to be built at Foxrock.
Foxrock granite use to pave part of Essex Quay
1859 James Pim, leasee of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners by deed the following lands to
William Wellington Bentley & John Bentley.
1859 18 20 (122 acres)
1859 18 21 (142 acres)
1859 18 22 (2 acres 3r)
1859 Building ground at Galloping Green at £4 per acre, Foxrock £6 per acre being sold by Bentley & Son.
This was originally a large grazing farm half overgrown with furze and rocks.
Kilcoole Brick Works in operation owned by William Wellington Bentley
Kingstown Steeple Chase and flat races run at Foxrock.
Plans showing proposed road may be had from Bentley & Son, 21 lots already let. (October)
Directors of Dublin & Wicklow Railway consent to establish a station at Foxrock. (October)
Temporary platform installed at Foxrock for the races. Temporary stand erected to hold 1000 at the
race track.
All lots for sale are numbered on the land and are shown on a map.
Dublin Builder visits the site and recommends it
Death of Marion Bolton, eldest daughter of the late Richard Bolton of Foxrock Lodge.
Grazing for Horses and Cows at Foxrock in well fenced fields offered by Messrs Bentley.
Oratory at Glasnevin Cemetery built from Foxrock granite by John Joseph Lyons Architect
and proprietor of The Dublin Builder Newspaper.
1860 Request for tenders to be received for new road to be built from the Stillorgan Road to the
proposed railway station at Foxrock by Bentley.
W W Bentley living at Foxrock Lodge.
John Cunningham who built Harcourt Street Terminus wins contract to build Foxrock Station.
Horse Racing at Foxrock in May including the Foxrock Stakes. (4 ran, Indian Queens won).
House built and sold to John Stanford McIlwaine of the Bank of Ireland.
Bentleys offer 1 acre rent free for life for new church to be built between Monkstown and Tully.
1861 The Dublin Builder report that 21 plots are sold and new road is complete.
Lots offered with 900 year lease.
Foxrock proposed as site for new reservoir.
Shop at Leopardstown Mart on the Foxrock estate to be sold – Bentley. 100 foot frontage,
200' deep and 3 storeys.
Brick, lime and granite rubble can be bought on site at a reduced price. (Sand was free)
Station opens at Foxrock on June 1st, WW Bentley agreed to cover up to 300 in receipts if there
is a deficit.
Westminster lodge for sale by Bentley
Foxrock Lodge for Sale held under a lease from Jane Theresa Thompson to Richard Bolton
dated 1853. From Bolton to Williamson 1857
The postmaster general agrees to deliver letters along Westminster Road
Bentley runs omnibus service between Kingstown & Dun Laoghaire. (One via Kill o' the
Grange, one via Cabinteely and one via Glenageary).
Churches in Progress for Protestant, Presbyterian, Baptists and Roman Catholics.
William W Bentley & his brother John get a Mortgage on the land from Sir Anthony Weldon
'CONVEYANCES FROM FOXROCK now ply Kingstown and back several times daily, leaving
Foxrock Railway Station.' Tramway proposed between Foxrock and Kingstown.
1862 Foxrock Mart supplies drapery, groceries, provisions and meat.
John Bentley built a house for himself on the lands, architect Edward Henry Carson. House is
called Mount Aventine on Brighton Road.
New Hotel to be built beside railway station.
Ploughing championship at Foxrock. Mr W Bentley’s head ploughman wins.
Torquay road and Brighton Road finished.
Tourist Hotel opens.
1863 Liquor Licence obtained for the hotel.
John & William W Bentley dissolve their partnership.
Water pipes and reservoir planned on Bentley's land is abandoned.
William W Bentley takes a further mortgage on the lands from Mr Duplat
Ulick J Daly declared a bankrupt bought 3 plots to build on. (Melvyn (Sefton), Kelston and Avonmore).
Tourists’ hotel serving breakfast, luncheons, sandwiches, dinner and wine.
Hotel offering Coffee room for ladies and gents ,room for gents only, smoking room and private rooms.
Foundation stone of Tullow Church laid on a site given by W W Bentley
Mr Bell the manager of the Leopardstown Mart (age 25) dropped dead.
Cricket ground built at the hotel and cricket club formed.
A few pretty pic-nic cottages are being built on the estate. (Primrose cottage one of these).
A Table D’Hote on offer and waiters at hotel not allowed accept gratuities
Dublin shooting club hold their opening meeting at the hotel.
Hotel fits up a large mansion to take addition visitors due to large demand. Palermo was the
name of the house possibly now called Trentham on Leopardstown Road.
Hotel opens a ballroom/banquet hall and another suite of bedrooms in a new wing.
1864 New company to be formed to build new or extend the hotel. The Foxrock hotel company (LIMITED),
FOXROCK, COUNTY DUBLIN. Incorporated under The Companies Act of 1862.
1865 Sale of machinery and livestock on Foxrock Farmyard and William announces he has sold
the estate to an English Company.
1866 Palermo and the half built house beside it are for sale. Hotel proprietor is now William Curry.
John Bentley in court explaining that that is was no longer in partnership with his brother.
Samuel Kelly purchased the interest in the house and land agency of Messrs Bentley.
1867 Foxrock Hotel or Foxrock Railway Hotel to be let for 7 years John Adams is caretaker.
Mount Aventine offered for Sale.
1869 The lands of Foxrock are For Sale through the landed estate court in 22 lots in Nov 1869.
1870 William Wellington Bentley moved to Dulwich. He was in the London court of Bankruptcy in
February. Liabilities were £316,701 and the deficiency was £248,719. This was the result of
liabilities of 160K of shares in the Railway Finance Company and 80K for shares in the Progress
Assurance Company which both went into liquidation. Living at3, Spencer-terrace,
Spencer-road, Dulwich.
248,360 debt to unsecured creditors
68,340 debt to secured creditors
William was unable to pay and was granted an unconditional order of discharge.
He was still living in Dulwich in 1882 and was living at 61 Schubert Road in 1892 when his
daughter Harriett Emily married.
According to Foxrock History society the Hotel was on the grounds of Three Rock Rovers but
Three Rock Rovers played at Silver Park? Also they call it the Victoria Hotel which is another hotel in
in the area which was adjacent to Westminster Lodge.
1870 Furniture and effects of Foxrock Lodge for sale.
1886 Royal exchange are the owners of most of Foxrock
1901 Census - not identified
1904 Hotel has about 14 tenants living there
1908 Irish National Foresters, Geraldines Branch at Foxrock
1909 Proposed Iron Hall at Foxrock for us a local Hall to be built, site obtained by the REAC
1909 Rathdown councillors are left with an overspend on sewage/drainage system for Foxrock. The owners
Royal Assurance were to let on the land in small plots for building which would provide income
to the council and local employment but instead they rented the land to Horace Plunket for
use as grazing land and so the council didn't get the rates.
1911 The Foxrock Hotel appears to be split as numbers 46 & 47 2nd class Houses, 6 families -13 people
living at the house & 9 families & 19 people. Landlord is the Royal Exchange Assurance Co.
1911 7 Men living at The Old Hotel denied right to vote as rooms aren't rated separately.
1912 Martha Jane Dowling, wife of a butler living at the hotel dies after a fire in her room.
1912 Sarah Murphy, Mr and Mrs Tom Reynolds. Mrs Carroll, William Reynolds living at Hotel
1921 Thomas Murphy, aged 22. F Company, 6th Battalion, Dublin Brigade, Irish Republican Army.
Murdered in his bed by Black and Tans at 'The Hotel', Foxrock Village, on 31 May 1921 aged 22
1925 Tenement known as the Old Hotel has 13 families living in it.
1927 John Cullen gives his address at The Hotel, Foxrock
1932 Alterations to old Hotel at Railway station.
1933 Proposed new RC church as Foxrock to replace Tin Church on Torquay Road.
Sod turned for new Church in November at the junction of Bray Road and Kill Avenue,
accommodation for 936 people on a 2 acre site purchased from John Grehan of Blackrock.
1935 New RC Church opened at Foxrock
1941 Claud John Rutherford late of Foxrock Lodge left personal estate of 9K
1944 Daniel Ryan is resident at The Hotel, Foxrock
© June Bow & Karen Poff – June 2020
The Foxrock Hotel was the brainchild, and the dream of the Bentley brothers. While Foxrock has
fulfilled their dream years on, the hotel was only what could be described as a disaster.
William Frederick Bentley an auctioneer in Bride Street married Ann Butler from Winterfield,
Drumgriffin, Galway in 1821. Her brother was a captain in the 18th Regiment. William sold the
premises at Bride Street to Boileau and Boyd the Chemists. The Bentleys lived at 37 Charlemont
Street near the Grand Canal. William opened an auction room at 161 Capel Street with another at
12 Wood Quay. Of his children, three of his sons became involved in the business: William
Wellington Bentley, John Bentley and Mark Cumberland Bentley.
They opened an office at 110 Grafton Street which was taken over by auctioneers James H North
& Co in 1877. The Bentley family moved to Laurel Lodge and then Frescati in Blackrock. William
Wellington Bentley it thought to have gone into business with Edward Fox who lived at Glenageary
Hall and his brother Anthony Fox who were Stockbrokers, Insurance Agents and Wine Merchants, but
no contemporaneous documents have been found to support this claim. As to Foxrock being named
after their mother Mrs Fox then that can also be disregarded as a seven room house at Foxrock was
built circa 1803 some fifty years before the development began and Foxrock also appears on Duncan's
Map of 1816. During the 1820's and 1830's the land was used by the fox hunting set and in 1853 is
was used by The Kingstown Steeple Chase.
1803 House for sale at Foxrock with seven room and two halls surrounded by an eight foot
wall. It also had three offices sunk into the rock and a well.
1816 Foxrock is named on Duncan's map.
1843 Neville McGowan of Foxrock, Co Dublin, Builder, Contractor, Dairyman, Deake and
Chapman, a bankrupt.
1845 - 1850 Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow and Dublin Railway's application of intent to be made to
Parliament for the instruction and maintenance of a railway through parts of Foxrock
and Kerrymount from Coburg Gardens to Kingstown. Foxrock is listed as a townland
as is Kerrymount.
1846 Foxrock House for Sale (6 bed house)
1848 Patrick Gogarty formally of Melfield and Foxrock is insolvent.
1853 Kingstown steeple chase through the lands of Foxrock
1853 Application for laying of pipes on land belonging to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners by
the Kingstown gravitation waterworks.
1854 Fire at Foxrock dairy belonging to Mr Quigley
1855 Foxrock Lodge for let/sale on 7 acres.
200 acres of grazing to let at Foxrock until March 1856 by James Pim, Corn Merchant of
Burgh Quay.
Rev J R Echlin living at Foxrock Lodge
1857 Foxrock Lodge furniture for sale – agent Littledale
Arson attempt at the home of James Pim of Foxrock
Foxrock granite to be trialled by Dublin Corporation as paving.
1858 Application to parliament to lay aqueduct through Foxrock.
Advert for building plots for detached Villas at Foxrock and Galloping Green by Bentley & Son
of 110 Grafton Street.
Expectation of a new station to be built at Foxrock.
Foxrock granite use to pave part of Essex Quay
1859 James Pim, leasee of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners by deed the following lands to
William Wellington Bentley & John Bentley.
1859 18 20 (122 acres)
1859 18 21 (142 acres)
1859 18 22 (2 acres 3r)
1859 Building ground at Galloping Green at £4 per acre, Foxrock £6 per acre being sold by Bentley & Son.
This was originally a large grazing farm half overgrown with furze and rocks.
Kilcoole Brick Works in operation owned by William Wellington Bentley
Kingstown Steeple Chase and flat races run at Foxrock.
Plans showing proposed road may be had from Bentley & Son, 21 lots already let. (October)
Directors of Dublin & Wicklow Railway consent to establish a station at Foxrock. (October)
Temporary platform installed at Foxrock for the races. Temporary stand erected to hold 1000 at the
race track.
All lots for sale are numbered on the land and are shown on a map.
Dublin Builder visits the site and recommends it
Death of Marion Bolton, eldest daughter of the late Richard Bolton of Foxrock Lodge.
Grazing for Horses and Cows at Foxrock in well fenced fields offered by Messrs Bentley.
Oratory at Glasnevin Cemetery built from Foxrock granite by John Joseph Lyons Architect
and proprietor of The Dublin Builder Newspaper.
1860 Request for tenders to be received for new road to be built from the Stillorgan Road to the
proposed railway station at Foxrock by Bentley.
W W Bentley living at Foxrock Lodge.
John Cunningham who built Harcourt Street Terminus wins contract to build Foxrock Station.
Horse Racing at Foxrock in May including the Foxrock Stakes. (4 ran, Indian Queens won).
House built and sold to John Stanford McIlwaine of the Bank of Ireland.
Bentleys offer 1 acre rent free for life for new church to be built between Monkstown and Tully.
1861 The Dublin Builder report that 21 plots are sold and new road is complete.
Lots offered with 900 year lease.
Foxrock proposed as site for new reservoir.
Shop at Leopardstown Mart on the Foxrock estate to be sold – Bentley. 100 foot frontage,
200' deep and 3 storeys.
Brick, lime and granite rubble can be bought on site at a reduced price. (Sand was free)
Station opens at Foxrock on June 1st, WW Bentley agreed to cover up to 300 in receipts if there
is a deficit.
Westminster lodge for sale by Bentley
Foxrock Lodge for Sale held under a lease from Jane Theresa Thompson to Richard Bolton
dated 1853. From Bolton to Williamson 1857
The postmaster general agrees to deliver letters along Westminster Road
Bentley runs omnibus service between Kingstown & Dun Laoghaire. (One via Kill o' the
Grange, one via Cabinteely and one via Glenageary).
Churches in Progress for Protestant, Presbyterian, Baptists and Roman Catholics.
William W Bentley & his brother John get a Mortgage on the land from Sir Anthony Weldon
'CONVEYANCES FROM FOXROCK now ply Kingstown and back several times daily, leaving
Foxrock Railway Station.' Tramway proposed between Foxrock and Kingstown.
1862 Foxrock Mart supplies drapery, groceries, provisions and meat.
John Bentley built a house for himself on the lands, architect Edward Henry Carson. House is
called Mount Aventine on Brighton Road.
New Hotel to be built beside railway station.
Ploughing championship at Foxrock. Mr W Bentley’s head ploughman wins.
Torquay road and Brighton Road finished.
Tourist Hotel opens.
1863 Liquor Licence obtained for the hotel.
John & William W Bentley dissolve their partnership.
Water pipes and reservoir planned on Bentley's land is abandoned.
William W Bentley takes a further mortgage on the lands from Mr Duplat
Ulick J Daly declared a bankrupt bought 3 plots to build on. (Melvyn (Sefton), Kelston and Avonmore).
Tourists’ hotel serving breakfast, luncheons, sandwiches, dinner and wine.
Hotel offering Coffee room for ladies and gents ,room for gents only, smoking room and private rooms.
Foundation stone of Tullow Church laid on a site given by W W Bentley
Mr Bell the manager of the Leopardstown Mart (age 25) dropped dead.
Cricket ground built at the hotel and cricket club formed.
A few pretty pic-nic cottages are being built on the estate. (Primrose cottage one of these).
A Table D’Hote on offer and waiters at hotel not allowed accept gratuities
Dublin shooting club hold their opening meeting at the hotel.
Hotel fits up a large mansion to take addition visitors due to large demand. Palermo was the
name of the house possibly now called Trentham on Leopardstown Road.
Hotel opens a ballroom/banquet hall and another suite of bedrooms in a new wing.
1864 New company to be formed to build new or extend the hotel. The Foxrock hotel company (LIMITED),
FOXROCK, COUNTY DUBLIN. Incorporated under The Companies Act of 1862.
1865 Sale of machinery and livestock on Foxrock Farmyard and William announces he has sold
the estate to an English Company.
1866 Palermo and the half built house beside it are for sale. Hotel proprietor is now William Curry.
John Bentley in court explaining that that is was no longer in partnership with his brother.
Samuel Kelly purchased the interest in the house and land agency of Messrs Bentley.
1867 Foxrock Hotel or Foxrock Railway Hotel to be let for 7 years John Adams is caretaker.
Mount Aventine offered for Sale.
1869 The lands of Foxrock are For Sale through the landed estate court in 22 lots in Nov 1869.
1870 William Wellington Bentley moved to Dulwich. He was in the London court of Bankruptcy in
February. Liabilities were £316,701 and the deficiency was £248,719. This was the result of
liabilities of 160K of shares in the Railway Finance Company and 80K for shares in the Progress
Assurance Company which both went into liquidation. Living at3, Spencer-terrace,
Spencer-road, Dulwich.
248,360 debt to unsecured creditors
68,340 debt to secured creditors
William was unable to pay and was granted an unconditional order of discharge.
He was still living in Dulwich in 1882 and was living at 61 Schubert Road in 1892 when his
daughter Harriett Emily married.
According to Foxrock History society the Hotel was on the grounds of Three Rock Rovers but
Three Rock Rovers played at Silver Park? Also they call it the Victoria Hotel which is another hotel in
in the area which was adjacent to Westminster Lodge.
1870 Furniture and effects of Foxrock Lodge for sale.
1886 Royal exchange are the owners of most of Foxrock
1901 Census - not identified
1904 Hotel has about 14 tenants living there
1908 Irish National Foresters, Geraldines Branch at Foxrock
1909 Proposed Iron Hall at Foxrock for us a local Hall to be built, site obtained by the REAC
1909 Rathdown councillors are left with an overspend on sewage/drainage system for Foxrock. The owners
Royal Assurance were to let on the land in small plots for building which would provide income
to the council and local employment but instead they rented the land to Horace Plunket for
use as grazing land and so the council didn't get the rates.
1911 The Foxrock Hotel appears to be split as numbers 46 & 47 2nd class Houses, 6 families -13 people
living at the house & 9 families & 19 people. Landlord is the Royal Exchange Assurance Co.
1911 7 Men living at The Old Hotel denied right to vote as rooms aren't rated separately.
1912 Martha Jane Dowling, wife of a butler living at the hotel dies after a fire in her room.
1912 Sarah Murphy, Mr and Mrs Tom Reynolds. Mrs Carroll, William Reynolds living at Hotel
1921 Thomas Murphy, aged 22. F Company, 6th Battalion, Dublin Brigade, Irish Republican Army.
Murdered in his bed by Black and Tans at 'The Hotel', Foxrock Village, on 31 May 1921 aged 22
1925 Tenement known as the Old Hotel has 13 families living in it.
1927 John Cullen gives his address at The Hotel, Foxrock
1932 Alterations to old Hotel at Railway station.
1933 Proposed new RC church as Foxrock to replace Tin Church on Torquay Road.
Sod turned for new Church in November at the junction of Bray Road and Kill Avenue,
accommodation for 936 people on a 2 acre site purchased from John Grehan of Blackrock.
1935 New RC Church opened at Foxrock
1941 Claud John Rutherford late of Foxrock Lodge left personal estate of 9K
1944 Daniel Ryan is resident at The Hotel, Foxrock
© June Bow & Karen Poff – June 2020