Frescati
NAME Frescati/Frescati School
Further information about Frescati is to be found in Conan Kennedy's book Fragments from Frescati,
contact [email protected]
AREA LOCATION Blackrock, the site of what is now The Frascati Shopping Centre.
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of
Blackrock and it is annotated as Frescati on both. On Duncan's map of 1816
it is annotated as Frescati School and is unnamed on Rocque's map of 1760.
Columbine Lee Carre sold a field with a two storey house to James Fitzgerald,
Marquess of Kildare and Duke of Leinster for £425 in 1766.
GENERAL Frescati House built c1739 and remodelled on various occasions. The Mid-
section has a style of the Queen Anne period and this would tie in with house being extended
by Emily Fitzgerald after she purchased it and added two wings. In 1802 the house was fully
enclosed with a wall and hedging. It had five double coach houses and stabling for 22 horses.
In the Italian style it was mainly built in brick which was rendered and lined. It had
mahogany sash windows and double doors. The magnificence and magnitude of this house
was staggering.
The principal rooms and bedchamber floor all had marble chimney pieces. The ground floor
consisted of a hall 26' x 10', a parlour 26' x 18', a library with a bow window which was
21' x 16', a dining room 33' x 23' and a drawing room, which was 36' x 24'. All were connected
by a circular vestibule which had a dome and lantern. Also on this floor was a waiting room
which was 14' x 12'and a bedchamber 33' x 23' with two dressing rooms. Each of the dressing
rooms were 21' x16' and had bow windows. The drawing room was hung with white damask,
also on this floor was a boudoir and cabinet room, two water closets and a gallery that was
48' x 9'.
There were three staircases, two of wood and the central staircase was Portland stone. One
whole floor was given over to eleven bedchambers, of which six had dressing rooms. The
basement consisted of cellars, housekeeper's room, butler's room with pantry, steward's room,
servants hall, cold bath and four sleeping rooms for servants.
On the grounds was a forcing pump which supplied the house with cold water, which took
advantage of the small river that ran through the grounds. Henry Cavandish spend 12,000
on improvement prior to its sale on 34 acres and two other mansions, one called Merrion
Lodge on the lands in 1806. The hot houses were considered to be the best in Ireland.
In 1807 Mr Craig open Frescati as a school, charging 8 guineas entrance fee and 40 guineas
per year plus extras. He turned the ballroom into a schoolroom and taught English, Latin,
Greek and Hebrew in addition to lessons on elocution and composition. Also on the
curriculum was algebra, geography and the use of globes. In 1823 the house was altered
and divided in two with a new front door which faced south known as Frescati East. A fire
broke out in 1912 after a beam ignited in the chimney.
The house and land was purchased by Frascati Estate Ltd in 1970 after Dun Laoghaire
Corporation rezoned the lands for commercial development. The house was allowed to fall
into dereliction. After thirteen years of campaigning to save the house, it was demolished in
1983.
YEAR BUILT circa 1739
VALUATION In 1900 the Valuation was 118+86 & in 1912 60L/40L/75L
ARCHITECT Unknown
SOURCES Thom’s directories, OSI maps, Griffith's Valuation, NAI Census & Wills
contemporaneous newspapers, William Fitzgerald letters, Brassington
& Gale estate maps, Griffith's Valuation and Registry of Deeds.
OCCUPANTS
1739 John Hely Hutchinson (Provost of Trinity)
1762 House marked as unknown name Beckers Map
1766 - 1773 Duke & Duchess of Leinster
1770 - 1778 Lord Edward & Pamela Fitzgerald
1773 - 1783 William & Emily Ogilvie
1794 House put up for Sale
1802 Frescati, Merrion Lodge & Trimbush Hill to be sold
c1802 Leased to the La Touches
-1804 Sir Henry Cavendish, Receiver General
1805 Rt Hon Lord Cathcart - (commander of the forces)
1806 For Sale as part of the estate of Henry Cavandish
1807 - 1829 Rev Robert Craig
1823 House spit into two
1823 - 1835 Mrs Kelly's Boarding school (William Vincent Wallace (Mauretania) - married Isabella Kelly
1840 William Stewart
1842 William Moore
1844 - 1869 John Plunkett and house split into 3
1851 Captain Edward S Smyth
1852 - 1855 Arthur Neville
1854 John Bunbury
1858 Rev James Rice
1859 R R Madden
1860 Thomas Dixon
1861 James Holden
1862 Wm P Alcock
1867 For sale
1870 - 1889 James Wilson
1889 Mr and Mrs Hamilton Burke
1895 John Alexander Bell
1900 William Alexander
1898 - 1925 Frederick Kennedy and family (No 3, 42 Rock Hill)
1911 - 1919 Sir Henry McLaughlin (Frescati No 1, 36 Rock Hill)
1912 Captain Graves, Harbour Master
1917 - 1956 Fergus McKinley family (Mrs E Maxwell Sir Edwards Tree trunk)
1950 Mrs Maxwell in main house
1956 For sale
1965 Furniture auction
1970 Frescati Estates Ltd, South Mall, Cork, T/A Roches Stores Scheduled for
demolition and left derelict.
1972 Squatters evicted
1981 An Bord Pleanala gives permission to demolish the wings.
1983 Demolished 4 November
STAFF
1849 James Barnes - Gatekeeper
1901 Sarah Byrne - Housemaid at No 3
Bridget Fogarty - Cook at No 3
1911 Katie Keating - Nursemaid at No 3
Norah Conroy - Housemaid at No 3
Catherine Robertson - Nurse at No 3
Ann Coffee- Cook at No 3
Kate McDonnell - Parlourmaid at No 3
CURRENT
STATUS No Longer Extant
CONTRIBUTOR © June Bow & Karen Poff
DATE April 2019
Further information about Frescati is to be found in Conan Kennedy's book Fragments from Frescati,
contact [email protected]
AREA LOCATION Blackrock, the site of what is now The Frascati Shopping Centre.
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of
Blackrock and it is annotated as Frescati on both. On Duncan's map of 1816
it is annotated as Frescati School and is unnamed on Rocque's map of 1760.
Columbine Lee Carre sold a field with a two storey house to James Fitzgerald,
Marquess of Kildare and Duke of Leinster for £425 in 1766.
GENERAL Frescati House built c1739 and remodelled on various occasions. The Mid-
section has a style of the Queen Anne period and this would tie in with house being extended
by Emily Fitzgerald after she purchased it and added two wings. In 1802 the house was fully
enclosed with a wall and hedging. It had five double coach houses and stabling for 22 horses.
In the Italian style it was mainly built in brick which was rendered and lined. It had
mahogany sash windows and double doors. The magnificence and magnitude of this house
was staggering.
The principal rooms and bedchamber floor all had marble chimney pieces. The ground floor
consisted of a hall 26' x 10', a parlour 26' x 18', a library with a bow window which was
21' x 16', a dining room 33' x 23' and a drawing room, which was 36' x 24'. All were connected
by a circular vestibule which had a dome and lantern. Also on this floor was a waiting room
which was 14' x 12'and a bedchamber 33' x 23' with two dressing rooms. Each of the dressing
rooms were 21' x16' and had bow windows. The drawing room was hung with white damask,
also on this floor was a boudoir and cabinet room, two water closets and a gallery that was
48' x 9'.
There were three staircases, two of wood and the central staircase was Portland stone. One
whole floor was given over to eleven bedchambers, of which six had dressing rooms. The
basement consisted of cellars, housekeeper's room, butler's room with pantry, steward's room,
servants hall, cold bath and four sleeping rooms for servants.
On the grounds was a forcing pump which supplied the house with cold water, which took
advantage of the small river that ran through the grounds. Henry Cavandish spend 12,000
on improvement prior to its sale on 34 acres and two other mansions, one called Merrion
Lodge on the lands in 1806. The hot houses were considered to be the best in Ireland.
In 1807 Mr Craig open Frescati as a school, charging 8 guineas entrance fee and 40 guineas
per year plus extras. He turned the ballroom into a schoolroom and taught English, Latin,
Greek and Hebrew in addition to lessons on elocution and composition. Also on the
curriculum was algebra, geography and the use of globes. In 1823 the house was altered
and divided in two with a new front door which faced south known as Frescati East. A fire
broke out in 1912 after a beam ignited in the chimney.
The house and land was purchased by Frascati Estate Ltd in 1970 after Dun Laoghaire
Corporation rezoned the lands for commercial development. The house was allowed to fall
into dereliction. After thirteen years of campaigning to save the house, it was demolished in
1983.
YEAR BUILT circa 1739
VALUATION In 1900 the Valuation was 118+86 & in 1912 60L/40L/75L
ARCHITECT Unknown
SOURCES Thom’s directories, OSI maps, Griffith's Valuation, NAI Census & Wills
contemporaneous newspapers, William Fitzgerald letters, Brassington
& Gale estate maps, Griffith's Valuation and Registry of Deeds.
OCCUPANTS
1739 John Hely Hutchinson (Provost of Trinity)
1762 House marked as unknown name Beckers Map
1766 - 1773 Duke & Duchess of Leinster
1770 - 1778 Lord Edward & Pamela Fitzgerald
1773 - 1783 William & Emily Ogilvie
1794 House put up for Sale
1802 Frescati, Merrion Lodge & Trimbush Hill to be sold
c1802 Leased to the La Touches
-1804 Sir Henry Cavendish, Receiver General
1805 Rt Hon Lord Cathcart - (commander of the forces)
1806 For Sale as part of the estate of Henry Cavandish
1807 - 1829 Rev Robert Craig
1823 House spit into two
1823 - 1835 Mrs Kelly's Boarding school (William Vincent Wallace (Mauretania) - married Isabella Kelly
1840 William Stewart
1842 William Moore
1844 - 1869 John Plunkett and house split into 3
1851 Captain Edward S Smyth
1852 - 1855 Arthur Neville
1854 John Bunbury
1858 Rev James Rice
1859 R R Madden
1860 Thomas Dixon
1861 James Holden
1862 Wm P Alcock
1867 For sale
1870 - 1889 James Wilson
1889 Mr and Mrs Hamilton Burke
1895 John Alexander Bell
1900 William Alexander
1898 - 1925 Frederick Kennedy and family (No 3, 42 Rock Hill)
1911 - 1919 Sir Henry McLaughlin (Frescati No 1, 36 Rock Hill)
1912 Captain Graves, Harbour Master
1917 - 1956 Fergus McKinley family (Mrs E Maxwell Sir Edwards Tree trunk)
1950 Mrs Maxwell in main house
1956 For sale
1965 Furniture auction
1970 Frescati Estates Ltd, South Mall, Cork, T/A Roches Stores Scheduled for
demolition and left derelict.
1972 Squatters evicted
1981 An Bord Pleanala gives permission to demolish the wings.
1983 Demolished 4 November
STAFF
1849 James Barnes - Gatekeeper
1901 Sarah Byrne - Housemaid at No 3
Bridget Fogarty - Cook at No 3
1911 Katie Keating - Nursemaid at No 3
Norah Conroy - Housemaid at No 3
Catherine Robertson - Nurse at No 3
Ann Coffee- Cook at No 3
Kate McDonnell - Parlourmaid at No 3
CURRENT
STATUS No Longer Extant
CONTRIBUTOR © June Bow & Karen Poff
DATE April 2019