Roebuck House
NAME Roebuck House/Roebuck Grove
AREA LOCATION Within the UCD Campus
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of Roebuck
it is annotated at Roebuck House and Roebuck Grove respectively.
GENERAL The house name was changed from Roebuck House to Roebuck Grove in 1856.
A square Georgian 3 bay house (on entrance front), two storey over basement with attic floor at rear,
4 bays on 3 other sides with an entrance from both Clonskeagh Road and Roebuck Road. It was set
in parkland with distant views of Howth Head and featured Adams Fireplaces and classical
plasterwork, possibly the work of stuccadore and builder, Michael Stapleton.
In 1956 Harry G French, an American diplomat assigned to Dublin, leased the house from Captain
and Mrs Stewart who had decided to spend a year in Spain.
The lands also contained a gatelodge and a 5 room tin roofed wooden cottage when sold in 1962. The
property had a stream running through it which now feeds the water features in UCD Campus.
YEAR BUILT Circa 1792
VALUATION In 1901 the rateable valuation was 167 pounds.
NUMBER OF
ROOMS On the 1911 census it is noted as having 27 rooms occupied by family.
ARCHITECT Unknown
SOURCES Thom’s directories, contemporaneous newspapers, Registry of Deeds,
OSI Maps, NAI Census & Wills and Mike French.
OCCUPANTS
1783 Lord Trimlestown - no house on the land.
1792 John Robinson
1820 - 1823 Mr Peter La Touche
1824 - 1828 Mr John Goddard Richards of Ardemine
1829 - 1856 Sir John Power
1856 For sale by executors of Sir John Power on 31 acres
1856 -1870 Pickering family
1871 For Sale
1876 - 1885 Rev William Jameson
1890 - 1914 Sir Christopher & Lady Nixon
1915 - 1920 Lady Nixon
1920 For Sale on 35 Statute acres
1924 - 1953 Anthony (Tony) Riddell Martin (Racehorse trainer of Ardmulchan House)
1955 Captain A G Stewart
1956 Harry G French, an American diplomat assigned to Dublin
1961 A Riddlell Martin
1962 Purchased by UCD
1978 Vacant
1980 Demolished
STAFF
1911 Mary O'Shaughnessy - Domestic Servant
Patrick Kelly - Domestic Servant
1920 Margaret Sherridan - Domestic Servant
CURRENT
STATUS No longer extant
CONTRIBUTOR © June Bow/Karen Poff
DATE April 2019, updated January 2020