Prospect Hall

NAME                       PROSPECT/PROSPECT HOUSE/PROSPECT HALL

AREA LOCATION   ROEBUCK, Willowfield Park, Goatstown.
 
MAP LOCATION    OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of Roebuck and
it is annotated as Prospect and Prospect Hall respectively.
 
GENERAL                    

‘There is upon this holding an extensive mansion house consisting of parlour, drawing room and
several other reception rooms with five bed chambers and dressing rooms, kitchen and servants
apartments in the basement story, a walled garden and ornamental plantations, farm yard and
stabling for six horses, two coach houses all in excellent order.’ (Brassington 1832)      

This building had single-story bow-fronted wings but these were considerably altered when they were
raised to the same height as the main house.  Gaspar Gabrielli came from Italy and did some work for
​Lord Cloncurry.  Sir Robert Harty, friend and political affiliate of Cloncurry, may have employed
Gabrielli to decorate his rooms in Prospect and his town house, 49 Merrion Square ‘where the
panoramic scenes and landscapes fill the walls from the dado to the cornice’.  During the occupancy
of the Watkins family it was referred to as Prospect House.

YEAR BUILT            circa 1790
 
VALUATION            In 1912 the valuation was 122 pounds and in the 1901 census it is noted as
​                                  having 17 rooms occupied by family.
 
ARCHITECT             Unknown
 
SOURCES                 Thom’s directories, contemporaneous newspapers, OSI Maps and NAI Census & Wills
  
OCCUPANTS
​
1783                         Meadow and pasture to let from the Earl of Pembroke
                                  Thomas Dillon
                                  John Duffy
1826 - 1832             Sir Robert Way Harty
1832 - 1838             Robert Manders
1839 - 1841             Henry Darley
​1841 - 1852             Richard Watkins
1857 - 1881             Sir Robert Harty
1881 - 1902             Elizabeth Henrietta Harty
1903 - 1909             Major Scott
1910 - 1913             Edward Mitchell - Asst Land Commissioner
1917 - 1938             Walter Crosbie Butler
1938 - 1941             Isabella Catherine Butler 
1951                         For Sale
1954 - 1969             Central Remedial Clinic                
1970 - 2018             St Michael's House
                                 
STAFF
1836                          Mr Dunn - gardener
​1849                          Peter Duffy - Gatelodge
1887                          John Pearson - Coachman (birth of son)
1889                          James Turner - Coachman (see birth of son)
1891 - 1901              James Chambers - Coachman - living at gatelodge
1896 - 1904              Archibald Johnston - Steward - living at gatelodge
1901                          Harriet Connolly - Cook
                                   Florence Vennard - Housemaid
1901 - 1902              Andrew Diver - Butler
1911                          Margaret Irvine - General servant
                                   Valentine O'Neill - Gardener
                                   Robert McCullagh - Coachman
           
CURRENT
STATUS                      Extant 

CONTRIBUTOR         ©​ June Bow, Catherine Brugha & Karen Poff
DATE                            July 2018