Mount Anville
NAME Demesne of Rowbuck Hill/Anneville/Mountainville/Darganville/The Tower/Mount Anville
AREA
LOCATION ROEBUCK, 14 Mount Anville Rd, Mountanville, Dublin
MAP
LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of Mountanville and
it is annotated as Mountanville and Mountanville Convent respectively. On Taylors
map of 1816 it appears to be annotated as Anneville House.
GENERAL A detached two storey six bay Georgian house with a Doric style porch approached by
seven granite cut steps. It had two gatelodges originally which were demolished circa 1851 when a new
entrance gatelodge and avenue was created off Mount Anville Road. It was extended and a Belvedere
tower added circa 1855 which is thought to be the work of John Skipton Mulvany. By 1857, William Dargan
used 'The Tower, Mount Anville' as his business address as well as 74 Harcourt Street. Queen Victoria
visited Mr Dargan in 1853 and the visit was described in the Illustrated London Newspaper. Plants from
Mount Anville were transplanted in 1863 to create the public gardens in Bray.
In 1865 Mount Anville was sold to Madame Julia Scully, the Superior of the Convent of the Sacred Heart,
Glasnevin and sister to Vincent Scully QC, MP. A large wing was added to the design of George Ashlin
and in 1884 an Oratory was built in grounds commissioned by Ashlin's mother, Dorinda. A garden
fountain designed by Baird & Thompson which has been used at the Great Exhibition and installed at
Mount Anville was sold by the Order and installed at the Thomas Prior Hall in Ballsbridge (now the Clayton
Hotel). A Wellingtonia (Sequoia) tree growing outside the main door of Mount Anville House was planted
by the Queen on her last visit to Ireland in April 1900.
YEAR BUILT circa 1798
VALUATION In 1896 the valuation was 680 pounds and in the 1901 census it is noted as having 24
rooms occupied by members of community.
ARCHITECT 1851 John Skipton Mulvany
SOURCES Thom’s directories, Registry of Deeds, contemporaneous newspapers, OSI Maps,
and NAI Census & Wills.
OCCUPANTS
1795 37 acres held by Lord Trimleston at Roebuck
1799 - 1802 Thomas Kemmis
1802 - 1824 Daniel Beere
1824 - 1842 John Beatty West
1842 - 1851 Mrs Eliza Felicia West
1851 - 1865 William Dargan
1865 - 2009 Society of the Sacred Heart*
2009 - todate Mt Anville Sacred Heart Education Trust Ltd
1983 - 2023 Cedar House Nursing Home
STAFF
1849 James Meegan & Patrick Kearney
1848 - 1849 Mr Byrne - Gardener
1889 Patrick & Bessie Kennedy - Back gatelodge
1852 - 1883 James Byrne - Gardener
1868 - 1883 William Byrne - Gardener
1879 Patrick McDonald - Caretaker
1891 John Coady - Steward
1901 Bridget Birney - Domestic servant
Josephine McEvoy - Cook
1918 Jane Tormey - Farm Servant
1921 Thomas Carroll - Gardener
CURRENT
STATUS Extant and in use as a school.
CONTRIBUTOR © June Bow & Karen Poff
DATE April 2018
*Our thanks to Aideen Kinlen RSCJ for corrections and additional information.
AREA
LOCATION ROEBUCK, 14 Mount Anville Rd, Mountanville, Dublin
MAP
LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of Mountanville and
it is annotated as Mountanville and Mountanville Convent respectively. On Taylors
map of 1816 it appears to be annotated as Anneville House.
GENERAL A detached two storey six bay Georgian house with a Doric style porch approached by
seven granite cut steps. It had two gatelodges originally which were demolished circa 1851 when a new
entrance gatelodge and avenue was created off Mount Anville Road. It was extended and a Belvedere
tower added circa 1855 which is thought to be the work of John Skipton Mulvany. By 1857, William Dargan
used 'The Tower, Mount Anville' as his business address as well as 74 Harcourt Street. Queen Victoria
visited Mr Dargan in 1853 and the visit was described in the Illustrated London Newspaper. Plants from
Mount Anville were transplanted in 1863 to create the public gardens in Bray.
In 1865 Mount Anville was sold to Madame Julia Scully, the Superior of the Convent of the Sacred Heart,
Glasnevin and sister to Vincent Scully QC, MP. A large wing was added to the design of George Ashlin
and in 1884 an Oratory was built in grounds commissioned by Ashlin's mother, Dorinda. A garden
fountain designed by Baird & Thompson which has been used at the Great Exhibition and installed at
Mount Anville was sold by the Order and installed at the Thomas Prior Hall in Ballsbridge (now the Clayton
Hotel). A Wellingtonia (Sequoia) tree growing outside the main door of Mount Anville House was planted
by the Queen on her last visit to Ireland in April 1900.
YEAR BUILT circa 1798
VALUATION In 1896 the valuation was 680 pounds and in the 1901 census it is noted as having 24
rooms occupied by members of community.
ARCHITECT 1851 John Skipton Mulvany
SOURCES Thom’s directories, Registry of Deeds, contemporaneous newspapers, OSI Maps,
and NAI Census & Wills.
OCCUPANTS
1795 37 acres held by Lord Trimleston at Roebuck
1799 - 1802 Thomas Kemmis
1802 - 1824 Daniel Beere
1824 - 1842 John Beatty West
1842 - 1851 Mrs Eliza Felicia West
1851 - 1865 William Dargan
1865 - 2009 Society of the Sacred Heart*
2009 - todate Mt Anville Sacred Heart Education Trust Ltd
1983 - 2023 Cedar House Nursing Home
STAFF
1849 James Meegan & Patrick Kearney
1848 - 1849 Mr Byrne - Gardener
1889 Patrick & Bessie Kennedy - Back gatelodge
1852 - 1883 James Byrne - Gardener
1868 - 1883 William Byrne - Gardener
1879 Patrick McDonald - Caretaker
1891 John Coady - Steward
1901 Bridget Birney - Domestic servant
Josephine McEvoy - Cook
1918 Jane Tormey - Farm Servant
1921 Thomas Carroll - Gardener
CURRENT
STATUS Extant and in use as a school.
CONTRIBUTOR © June Bow & Karen Poff
DATE April 2018
*Our thanks to Aideen Kinlen RSCJ for corrections and additional information.