NEWTOWN HOUSE
Name Newtown House
Area location The address of Newtown House today is Newtown Avenue, Blackrock in County Dublin, Newtown Avenue having been the main road from Blackrock Village to Seapoint Avenue before construction of the Blackrock bypass. But the original townland address of the house and site was Newtown on the Strand, or alternatively Newtown Castlebyrne. In 1792 Finn's Leinster Journal reported a duel in Newtown Avenue “near Black-rock”. In 1853 Griffith's Valuation (1853) places the house (called Newtown Avenue House) in the North East of the townland of Newtown Blackrock. By the 1901 census the same townland was designated simply Blackrock. Newtown House fronts on to Newtown Avenue, close to the other grand residences of Blackrock House, Blackrock Lodge and Seapoint Manor (formerly Castlebyrn). Maretimo, the seaside residence of the Lords Cloncurry, was also in close proximity but was demolished in the 1970s.
Map location OSI 1837 places (by name) Newtown House in the townland of Newtown Blackrock in County Dublin.
General A rendered house of two storeys over basement. In 1837 Samuel Lewis
in his Topographical Dictionary of Ireland described Newtown House as “finely situated and
from the rere (sic) is a noble view of Dublin Bay”. Griffith's valuation described it as “A good
house, two stories high and slated, having a good garden in the rear”.
The facade of the house is painted white. Six stone steps lead to the paneled front door which is topped by a fanlight and framed by a cut-stone portico. Both portico and the roof-line are balustraded. Decorative stone brackets support the roof-line. Six fluted stone columns support the portico. The five plate glass windows to the front (three upper and two lower) have rounded upper corners and those on the first floor have an ornamental frieze below them. Those on the ground floor have decorative stone scrolls on the sills with decorative stone brackets below.
A gravel driveway, a circular lawn with an imposing weeping ash at its centre, and a gate lodge complete the front aspect.
The hall behind the front door is lit by a magnificent Murano glass chandelier. The ceiling has elaborate plasterwork, featuring musical instruments and a large bird that could be an eagle or a phoenix flying into sun rays.
The back of the house, an earlier Georgian building, was extensively remodeled by John Skipton Mulvany for William Hodgens. It comprises a number of receptions rooms, beautifully decorated with murals of Italian scenes. Large plate glass windows look out to the extensive garden to the rere of the house. The garden currently ends at a cliff face but at one time it ran, beyond the cliff, down to the sea close to the Martello Tower at Seapoint and included the (“holy”) well called Tobernea. Early sources place a castle in Newtown and it has been mooted that it, (Newtown Castle) stood somewhere on the site of Newtown House.
Newtown House was offered for sale or rent on a number of occasions. The possibility of boarding at Newtown House was offered in 1920 in an advertisement that described the house as standing on 4 acres of ground overlooking the sea and having tennis facilities. In 1926 the house was again advertised for auction and sold for £1000, subject to an annual ground rent of £90. By the 1960s the grounds were described as 1.5 acres, the lower garden having been sold by Mrs Russell to the Scouts. At that stage the house had been divided into four self contained flats and planning had been approved for a block of 14 flats in the grounds behind the house. The latter never materialised. In 1969 the house came on the market again and it is currently the home of a single family.
Although the list of occupants below shows that the names of occupants changed many times, certain families lived at Newtown House for a significant periods of time, specifically O'Meara, Hodgens (including O'Brien and Meldon who were related by marriage to the Hodgens) and Andrews, see hyperlinks for more information on these families. Another resident – J J Byrne – was a colourful character, surviving a shooting incident in 1923 when a bullet passed through his hat by intruders apparently bent on robbery. In October 1923 he was a defendant in a court action related to The White City carnival in which he admitted liability for £100 and again in October 1924 for a £5 char-a-banc fare to the same Carnival. The Trimlestown-Nixon residents in the 1930s-40s were noted for their hosting of social events that they hosted in Newtown House, many of which were reported in the press.
Year built The front of the house was built c1800. The rear dates from an earlier
period but has been remodeled in the 1850s. The attractive gate lodge
was added in the 1890s.
Valuation The rateable valuation in 1900 was £94. The 1901 census describes it
as having 20 rooms.
Architect The original architect is unknown. The remodeling was the work of
J S Mulvany.
Sources Lewis; Thoms Directories; Registry of Deeds; NAI Census and Wills; Tithes,
Valuation Office Books, Griffiths, and Revision Books; Newspapers and
online databases.
Occupants
1777 - 1835 O'Meara
1835 - 1851 Hodgens
1852 - 1853 Hodgens, George Fottrell sol.
1854 - 1854 Hodgens
1855 - 1856 Brady, John Maziere secretary to the Lord Chancellor
1857 - 1859 Gardiner
1860 - 1861 Mrs Hodgens
1862 - 1862 Brady
1863 - 1864 Mrs Hodgens
1865 - 1867 Daniel O'Brien
1868 - 1874 Charles Henry Meldon
1875 - 1915 Arthur Andrews
1916 - 1919 Vacant
1920 - 1926 Byrne
1926 - 1928 Walter J Strickland (Director of the National Gallery)
1928 - 1936 Johnston Cooney
1933 - 1937 Lord & Lady Trimleson
1937 - 1945 Lady Trimleson (Josephine Barnewall nee Nixon)/Kay Nixon
1945 - 1947 Kay Nixon
1949 Caffrey
1956 Mrs Martin Bochm
1957 - 1964 John Russell
1963 Herman Godfried Develter
1969 - 1972 O'Callaghan
1972 - present Current owner
Staff
1895 Edward Webb - gardener (wife Elizabeth) living at gatelodge
Elizabeth Byrne, cook (1901 census)
Mary Byrne, housemaid (1901/1911 census)
Dora Ennis parlourmaid (1901 census)
Bridget Darbles, parlourmaid (1911 census)
James Dunne coachman (Daniel O'Brien's will 1867)
1910 John Hill - gardener (wife Sarah RIP)
Current status Owner occupied family residence.
Contributor Bríd Nolan & Ross Nolan
Date August 2017
Name Newtown House
Area location The address of Newtown House today is Newtown Avenue, Blackrock in County Dublin, Newtown Avenue having been the main road from Blackrock Village to Seapoint Avenue before construction of the Blackrock bypass. But the original townland address of the house and site was Newtown on the Strand, or alternatively Newtown Castlebyrne. In 1792 Finn's Leinster Journal reported a duel in Newtown Avenue “near Black-rock”. In 1853 Griffith's Valuation (1853) places the house (called Newtown Avenue House) in the North East of the townland of Newtown Blackrock. By the 1901 census the same townland was designated simply Blackrock. Newtown House fronts on to Newtown Avenue, close to the other grand residences of Blackrock House, Blackrock Lodge and Seapoint Manor (formerly Castlebyrn). Maretimo, the seaside residence of the Lords Cloncurry, was also in close proximity but was demolished in the 1970s.
Map location OSI 1837 places (by name) Newtown House in the townland of Newtown Blackrock in County Dublin.
General A rendered house of two storeys over basement. In 1837 Samuel Lewis
in his Topographical Dictionary of Ireland described Newtown House as “finely situated and
from the rere (sic) is a noble view of Dublin Bay”. Griffith's valuation described it as “A good
house, two stories high and slated, having a good garden in the rear”.
The facade of the house is painted white. Six stone steps lead to the paneled front door which is topped by a fanlight and framed by a cut-stone portico. Both portico and the roof-line are balustraded. Decorative stone brackets support the roof-line. Six fluted stone columns support the portico. The five plate glass windows to the front (three upper and two lower) have rounded upper corners and those on the first floor have an ornamental frieze below them. Those on the ground floor have decorative stone scrolls on the sills with decorative stone brackets below.
A gravel driveway, a circular lawn with an imposing weeping ash at its centre, and a gate lodge complete the front aspect.
The hall behind the front door is lit by a magnificent Murano glass chandelier. The ceiling has elaborate plasterwork, featuring musical instruments and a large bird that could be an eagle or a phoenix flying into sun rays.
The back of the house, an earlier Georgian building, was extensively remodeled by John Skipton Mulvany for William Hodgens. It comprises a number of receptions rooms, beautifully decorated with murals of Italian scenes. Large plate glass windows look out to the extensive garden to the rere of the house. The garden currently ends at a cliff face but at one time it ran, beyond the cliff, down to the sea close to the Martello Tower at Seapoint and included the (“holy”) well called Tobernea. Early sources place a castle in Newtown and it has been mooted that it, (Newtown Castle) stood somewhere on the site of Newtown House.
Newtown House was offered for sale or rent on a number of occasions. The possibility of boarding at Newtown House was offered in 1920 in an advertisement that described the house as standing on 4 acres of ground overlooking the sea and having tennis facilities. In 1926 the house was again advertised for auction and sold for £1000, subject to an annual ground rent of £90. By the 1960s the grounds were described as 1.5 acres, the lower garden having been sold by Mrs Russell to the Scouts. At that stage the house had been divided into four self contained flats and planning had been approved for a block of 14 flats in the grounds behind the house. The latter never materialised. In 1969 the house came on the market again and it is currently the home of a single family.
Although the list of occupants below shows that the names of occupants changed many times, certain families lived at Newtown House for a significant periods of time, specifically O'Meara, Hodgens (including O'Brien and Meldon who were related by marriage to the Hodgens) and Andrews, see hyperlinks for more information on these families. Another resident – J J Byrne – was a colourful character, surviving a shooting incident in 1923 when a bullet passed through his hat by intruders apparently bent on robbery. In October 1923 he was a defendant in a court action related to The White City carnival in which he admitted liability for £100 and again in October 1924 for a £5 char-a-banc fare to the same Carnival. The Trimlestown-Nixon residents in the 1930s-40s were noted for their hosting of social events that they hosted in Newtown House, many of which were reported in the press.
Year built The front of the house was built c1800. The rear dates from an earlier
period but has been remodeled in the 1850s. The attractive gate lodge
was added in the 1890s.
Valuation The rateable valuation in 1900 was £94. The 1901 census describes it
as having 20 rooms.
Architect The original architect is unknown. The remodeling was the work of
J S Mulvany.
Sources Lewis; Thoms Directories; Registry of Deeds; NAI Census and Wills; Tithes,
Valuation Office Books, Griffiths, and Revision Books; Newspapers and
online databases.
Occupants
1777 - 1835 O'Meara
1835 - 1851 Hodgens
1852 - 1853 Hodgens, George Fottrell sol.
1854 - 1854 Hodgens
1855 - 1856 Brady, John Maziere secretary to the Lord Chancellor
1857 - 1859 Gardiner
1860 - 1861 Mrs Hodgens
1862 - 1862 Brady
1863 - 1864 Mrs Hodgens
1865 - 1867 Daniel O'Brien
1868 - 1874 Charles Henry Meldon
1875 - 1915 Arthur Andrews
1916 - 1919 Vacant
1920 - 1926 Byrne
1926 - 1928 Walter J Strickland (Director of the National Gallery)
1928 - 1936 Johnston Cooney
1933 - 1937 Lord & Lady Trimleson
1937 - 1945 Lady Trimleson (Josephine Barnewall nee Nixon)/Kay Nixon
1945 - 1947 Kay Nixon
1949 Caffrey
1956 Mrs Martin Bochm
1957 - 1964 John Russell
1963 Herman Godfried Develter
1969 - 1972 O'Callaghan
1972 - present Current owner
Staff
1895 Edward Webb - gardener (wife Elizabeth) living at gatelodge
Elizabeth Byrne, cook (1901 census)
Mary Byrne, housemaid (1901/1911 census)
Dora Ennis parlourmaid (1901 census)
Bridget Darbles, parlourmaid (1911 census)
James Dunne coachman (Daniel O'Brien's will 1867)
1910 John Hill - gardener (wife Sarah RIP)
Current status Owner occupied family residence.
Contributor Bríd Nolan & Ross Nolan
Date August 2017