Park House 1991 - Courtesy of Declan McGinn
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May 2020 with thanks to David Shortall (Head Horticulturist at Park House)
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Stillorgan Park House
NAME Stillorgan House/Stillorgan Park House/Park House
AREA LOCATION STILLORGAN, entrance from Stillorgan Park
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of
Stillorgan Grove and it is annotated as Stillorgan House on both
maps.
GENERAL The original house has long gone - we know what it looked like thanks to a well
known painting by Gabriele Ricciardelli - it faced north towards Mount Merrion Avenue and stood
at the head of a long grove of trees, planted three rows deep on either side. The house was brick
built and exclusive of outbuildings covered 6,500 square feet. The estate stretched from Stillorgan
village across to Newtownpark Avenue, down to Blackrock, and adjoined the Fitzwilliam estate at
Mount Merrion Avenue, encompassing all of what is now Priory Park, Grove Avenue, Avoca
Avenue, Stillorgan Grove and Carysfort Avenue. The soft water stream ran for two miles through
the demesne and a grove of lime trees (also known as lindens) is shown on a map of the Allen
estate dating from the 18th century. A grotto and a obelisk were once part of the demesne, they
were designed by Edward Lovett Pearce and are extant. The Russian Princess Dashkova on seeing
the obelisk on a visit to Ireland declared that she wanted to create one herself on her return to
Moscow and employed the artist Richard Cranfield junior to sketch the elevation and sections.
In 1778 the park was closed by Lord Carysfort, citing damage done by trespassers and going
forward a ticket would be required to access the park. Between 1777 and 1779 70 acres sold off
as building plots by Lord Carysfort. It had two lodges originally and a third lodge was added circa
1880 at Ulster Terrace. None of these survive.
Nicholas Le Favre had Stillorgan Park on the market for a number of years and in 1795 it was
announced that it had been sold to Dr Troy to be used as the new University but this deal fell
through and Dr Troy purchased a site at Maynooth.
Arthur Lee Guinness lived here from 1840 to around 1860. On Mayday each year he hosted a
fete to which both country folk and gentry were invited. In 1852 more than 3000 people
attended. There was a May procession, Maypole dancing and the music of fife and drums. A
Queen of Spring was elected and a harp was played. Arthur seems to have had a fondness for
the native harp, and it was said that whilst the sale of his effects was taking place that a harper
was employed to play funeral dirges in the grounds.
Ownership of the new house built by the Carysfort family passed to Douglas Proby of Stillorgan
Park Company circa 1908, then to Granville Proby and eventually to Major Richard George Proby
circa 1948.
YEAR BUILT Original House built 1695, new house built on site in 1887/8.
VALUATION In 1912 the valuation was 140 pounds and in the 1901 census it is
noted as having 13 rooms occupied by family.
ARCHITECT John Allen, builder
SOURCES Thom’s directories, contemporaneous newspapers, NAI Census & Wills
F E Ball and OSI maps.
OCCUPANTS
Manor lands occupants if this is the site of the original manor house.
John De Clahill
Raymond De Carew
Hacket family
1360 -1390 Sir John Cruise (owner)
1405 John Derpatrick
1410 Robert Derpatrick
1422 John Loghenan
c1450 Lands passed to the Plunketts who married into the Cruise family
1587 Jacques Wingfields
1587 - 1644 Wolverstons
1670 - 1680 O’Neills
1680 - 1695 Col John Allen
1717 - 1742 Joshua Allen
1742 - 1752 Lady Allen
1754 - 1777 Rt Hon Philip Tisdall
1778 - 1779 2nd Baron Carysfort
1780 - 1789 Lord Lifford - James Hewitt
1789 - 1802 Nicholas Le Favre
1803 - 1839 John Verschoyle
1840 - 1860 Arthur Lee Guinness
1871 In the landed estate Court
1878 House levelled with the ground.
Park House (New house in progress)
1882 - 1911 Henry J Monahan, Sen
1911 - 1940 Henry J Monahan, Jun
1942 - 1961 Hendron Family
Portion of house (mews) leased to Dermot Ryan
1961 Marlborough Estates
1963 Trustees of the Polio Fellowship of Ireland/Rehabilitation Institute (1986)
STAFF
1779 Patrick M'Daniel – Gardener
1849 Joseph Hall - Gatekeeper
Michael Murray - Gatekeeper
1887 Laurence Kavanagh - Caretaker
1901 Anne Byrne - Housemaid
Kate Nolan - Kitchenmaid
Maria Brown - Nurse
Kate Barrett - Nursery maid
John Murphy - Butler
John Bannon - Coachman
Rose Traynor - Cook
1904 Robert Brown - Gardner
1911 Kathleen Farrell - Housemaid
Ellen McDarby - Cook
Josephine Lynch - Kitchenmaid
John Huff - Butler
1928 William Huff - Labourer
CURRENT
STATUS Extant
CONTRIBUTOR © June Bow & Karen Poff
DATE May 2017
NAME Stillorgan House/Stillorgan Park House/Park House
AREA LOCATION STILLORGAN, entrance from Stillorgan Park
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of
Stillorgan Grove and it is annotated as Stillorgan House on both
maps.
GENERAL The original house has long gone - we know what it looked like thanks to a well
known painting by Gabriele Ricciardelli - it faced north towards Mount Merrion Avenue and stood
at the head of a long grove of trees, planted three rows deep on either side. The house was brick
built and exclusive of outbuildings covered 6,500 square feet. The estate stretched from Stillorgan
village across to Newtownpark Avenue, down to Blackrock, and adjoined the Fitzwilliam estate at
Mount Merrion Avenue, encompassing all of what is now Priory Park, Grove Avenue, Avoca
Avenue, Stillorgan Grove and Carysfort Avenue. The soft water stream ran for two miles through
the demesne and a grove of lime trees (also known as lindens) is shown on a map of the Allen
estate dating from the 18th century. A grotto and a obelisk were once part of the demesne, they
were designed by Edward Lovett Pearce and are extant. The Russian Princess Dashkova on seeing
the obelisk on a visit to Ireland declared that she wanted to create one herself on her return to
Moscow and employed the artist Richard Cranfield junior to sketch the elevation and sections.
In 1778 the park was closed by Lord Carysfort, citing damage done by trespassers and going
forward a ticket would be required to access the park. Between 1777 and 1779 70 acres sold off
as building plots by Lord Carysfort. It had two lodges originally and a third lodge was added circa
1880 at Ulster Terrace. None of these survive.
Nicholas Le Favre had Stillorgan Park on the market for a number of years and in 1795 it was
announced that it had been sold to Dr Troy to be used as the new University but this deal fell
through and Dr Troy purchased a site at Maynooth.
Arthur Lee Guinness lived here from 1840 to around 1860. On Mayday each year he hosted a
fete to which both country folk and gentry were invited. In 1852 more than 3000 people
attended. There was a May procession, Maypole dancing and the music of fife and drums. A
Queen of Spring was elected and a harp was played. Arthur seems to have had a fondness for
the native harp, and it was said that whilst the sale of his effects was taking place that a harper
was employed to play funeral dirges in the grounds.
Ownership of the new house built by the Carysfort family passed to Douglas Proby of Stillorgan
Park Company circa 1908, then to Granville Proby and eventually to Major Richard George Proby
circa 1948.
YEAR BUILT Original House built 1695, new house built on site in 1887/8.
VALUATION In 1912 the valuation was 140 pounds and in the 1901 census it is
noted as having 13 rooms occupied by family.
ARCHITECT John Allen, builder
SOURCES Thom’s directories, contemporaneous newspapers, NAI Census & Wills
F E Ball and OSI maps.
OCCUPANTS
Manor lands occupants if this is the site of the original manor house.
John De Clahill
Raymond De Carew
Hacket family
1360 -1390 Sir John Cruise (owner)
1405 John Derpatrick
1410 Robert Derpatrick
1422 John Loghenan
c1450 Lands passed to the Plunketts who married into the Cruise family
1587 Jacques Wingfields
1587 - 1644 Wolverstons
1670 - 1680 O’Neills
1680 - 1695 Col John Allen
1717 - 1742 Joshua Allen
1742 - 1752 Lady Allen
1754 - 1777 Rt Hon Philip Tisdall
1778 - 1779 2nd Baron Carysfort
1780 - 1789 Lord Lifford - James Hewitt
1789 - 1802 Nicholas Le Favre
1803 - 1839 John Verschoyle
1840 - 1860 Arthur Lee Guinness
1871 In the landed estate Court
1878 House levelled with the ground.
Park House (New house in progress)
1882 - 1911 Henry J Monahan, Sen
1911 - 1940 Henry J Monahan, Jun
1942 - 1961 Hendron Family
Portion of house (mews) leased to Dermot Ryan
1961 Marlborough Estates
1963 Trustees of the Polio Fellowship of Ireland/Rehabilitation Institute (1986)
STAFF
1779 Patrick M'Daniel – Gardener
1849 Joseph Hall - Gatekeeper
Michael Murray - Gatekeeper
1887 Laurence Kavanagh - Caretaker
1901 Anne Byrne - Housemaid
Kate Nolan - Kitchenmaid
Maria Brown - Nurse
Kate Barrett - Nursery maid
John Murphy - Butler
John Bannon - Coachman
Rose Traynor - Cook
1904 Robert Brown - Gardner
1911 Kathleen Farrell - Housemaid
Ellen McDarby - Cook
Josephine Lynch - Kitchenmaid
John Huff - Butler
1928 William Huff - Labourer
CURRENT
STATUS Extant
CONTRIBUTOR © June Bow & Karen Poff
DATE May 2017