Woodley Park House Woodley House
NAME Woodley House/Woodley Park House/Woodley Villa /Woodley Dower House
AREA LOCATION STILLORGAN, Kilmacud Road Upper on the section that runs from Stillorgan
Heath to Drummartin link road.
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of Kilmacud East and
it is annotated as Woodley and Woodley/Kilmacud House respectively. On Taylors
map of 1816 it is noted as Woodley. Its gatelodge was in between Sweetbriar lane
and the shops on Drummartin Road. Land was owned by John Ladaveze Arabin in
the 1840's. In 1809 Henry Arabin leased 18 acres exclusive of an avenue to Peter
Alexander Leslie.
GENERAL This house has been added to, divided, added to again and split again. It had stables,
a gatelodge, a farm and a walled garden. In 1890 the lands of Woodley consisted of 30 acres and was
described as a two storey cottage built residence with four reception rooms and six bedrooms approached
by a carriage drive of 1/4 mile in length. Its main entrance was from what is now the Lower Kilmacud
Road Road where it had a granite built gatelodge. There was also a two roomed cottage on a portion of the
grounds known as Woodley farm. It had two conservatories and a walled garden containing fruit trees,
vegetables and melon pits. An extension was built to the house circa 1895, a dower house named Woodley
Villa (now known as Woodley House).
On Stephen's day 1936, a fire broke out in a room above the kitchen and it took the Dun Laoghaire fire
brigade an hour to get it under control. By 1930 the house was divided in two. Both Woodley Park and
Woodley Villa were for sale in 1939 with 37 acres with valuable frontages to three roads. Following the
successful sale of the houses, the furniture was sold later that year. The Woodley Park Estate houses went
up for sale in 1958.
YEAR BUILT c1760
VALUATION In 1921 the valuation was 44 pounds and in the census of 1901 it is noted as having 26
rooms occupied by family.
ARCHITECT Unknown
SOURCES Thom’s directories, contemporaneous newspapers, Registry of Deeds NAI Census &
Wills and OSI maps.
OCCUPANTS of Woodley Park House
1809 Henry Arabin
1809 - 1844 Peter Alexander Leslie
1844 - 1849 Charles Brassington
1851 - 1858 Samuel Smylie
1860 - 1866 William Henry
1868 - 1881 Edward Chapman
1885 - 1888 Christopher Bodkin
1888 - 1889 Deborah Bodkin
1890 - 1925 William Henry Foster Verschoyle
1930 Nicholas O'Dwyer
1931 - 1939 James & Josephine McNeill
1939 - 1941 Sir George Mahon
1947 - 1957 Patrick & Marie Winters
1957 - 1963 Marie Winters
1957 Lands sold to Mr Burrell to build Woodley Park Estate
1968 Permission to demolish Woodley Park House refused
1970 Dr Michael F & Mrs Lennon
Woodley Villa/Woodley House
In 1961 described as a two storey non basement Regency/Georgian house in it's own private grounds with
two reception rooms and five bedrooms.
1930 - 1935 Charles Kennedy
1933 T P McMahon
1939 For Sale and sold
1942 For Sale
1951 W P Cavanagh - Woodley Villa
1957 Tom & Mary Hogan
1961 Alexander Anthony Cooke (Woodley House)
1961 For Sale at £4250
1962 Furniture auction
1964 - 1973 Kevin G Boyle (Woodley House)
1977 The O'Sullivan Family (Woodley House)
2021 For Sale
STAFF
1831 - 1844 John Dixon - Coachman lived at gatelodge went to work for P A
Leslie's son, Charles at Dalkey on death of P A. John died at Dalkey
in April 1866
1849 John Downey - Gatekeeper
1866 Arthur Cavindish - Gatekeeper
1872 Thomas Hughes - Coachman
1875 Henry Anderson
1876 Hopton Lucas - Coachman/Gardener
1879 Patrick Fox - Ploughman (living onsite)
1888 Henry Quinn living at the gatelodge
1892 Henry Harris - Gardener (see birth of child)
1892 Thomas Ingoldsby - Coachman (birth of child)
1896 John Shekleton - Gardener
1901 Alice Gordon - Nurse
George McDowell - Yardman
John McCann - Coachman
Anna Gough - Parlourmaid
Mary Gough - Housemaid
Anne Moore - Cooke
1910 John Lalouette - Coachman
Edward McTernan - Servant
1911 Susan Jane Jenkinson - Housemaid
Mary Breen - Cook
Beatrice Carroll - Laundress
Bridget Farnan - Parlourmaid
Robert Currin - living on site
1947 Desmond O’Rourke
1951 - 1957 Charles Joseph Wilson
Woodley farmland
Approximately 35 acres with a small slated cottage rented out as farmland
1890 Patrick Quinn - Woodley Farm
1921 - 1940 Cornelius O'Connor - Woodley Farm
1940 Patrick Burke - Woodley Farm
1950 William Sweetman - Woodley Farm
CURRENT
STATUS both extant
CONTRIBUTORS © June Bow/Karen Poff
DATE November 2017
AREA LOCATION STILLORGAN, Kilmacud Road Upper on the section that runs from Stillorgan
Heath to Drummartin link road.
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of Kilmacud East and
it is annotated as Woodley and Woodley/Kilmacud House respectively. On Taylors
map of 1816 it is noted as Woodley. Its gatelodge was in between Sweetbriar lane
and the shops on Drummartin Road. Land was owned by John Ladaveze Arabin in
the 1840's. In 1809 Henry Arabin leased 18 acres exclusive of an avenue to Peter
Alexander Leslie.
GENERAL This house has been added to, divided, added to again and split again. It had stables,
a gatelodge, a farm and a walled garden. In 1890 the lands of Woodley consisted of 30 acres and was
described as a two storey cottage built residence with four reception rooms and six bedrooms approached
by a carriage drive of 1/4 mile in length. Its main entrance was from what is now the Lower Kilmacud
Road Road where it had a granite built gatelodge. There was also a two roomed cottage on a portion of the
grounds known as Woodley farm. It had two conservatories and a walled garden containing fruit trees,
vegetables and melon pits. An extension was built to the house circa 1895, a dower house named Woodley
Villa (now known as Woodley House).
On Stephen's day 1936, a fire broke out in a room above the kitchen and it took the Dun Laoghaire fire
brigade an hour to get it under control. By 1930 the house was divided in two. Both Woodley Park and
Woodley Villa were for sale in 1939 with 37 acres with valuable frontages to three roads. Following the
successful sale of the houses, the furniture was sold later that year. The Woodley Park Estate houses went
up for sale in 1958.
YEAR BUILT c1760
VALUATION In 1921 the valuation was 44 pounds and in the census of 1901 it is noted as having 26
rooms occupied by family.
ARCHITECT Unknown
SOURCES Thom’s directories, contemporaneous newspapers, Registry of Deeds NAI Census &
Wills and OSI maps.
OCCUPANTS of Woodley Park House
1809 Henry Arabin
1809 - 1844 Peter Alexander Leslie
1844 - 1849 Charles Brassington
1851 - 1858 Samuel Smylie
1860 - 1866 William Henry
1868 - 1881 Edward Chapman
1885 - 1888 Christopher Bodkin
1888 - 1889 Deborah Bodkin
1890 - 1925 William Henry Foster Verschoyle
1930 Nicholas O'Dwyer
1931 - 1939 James & Josephine McNeill
1939 - 1941 Sir George Mahon
1947 - 1957 Patrick & Marie Winters
1957 - 1963 Marie Winters
1957 Lands sold to Mr Burrell to build Woodley Park Estate
1968 Permission to demolish Woodley Park House refused
1970 Dr Michael F & Mrs Lennon
Woodley Villa/Woodley House
In 1961 described as a two storey non basement Regency/Georgian house in it's own private grounds with
two reception rooms and five bedrooms.
1930 - 1935 Charles Kennedy
1933 T P McMahon
1939 For Sale and sold
1942 For Sale
1951 W P Cavanagh - Woodley Villa
1957 Tom & Mary Hogan
1961 Alexander Anthony Cooke (Woodley House)
1961 For Sale at £4250
1962 Furniture auction
1964 - 1973 Kevin G Boyle (Woodley House)
1977 The O'Sullivan Family (Woodley House)
2021 For Sale
STAFF
1831 - 1844 John Dixon - Coachman lived at gatelodge went to work for P A
Leslie's son, Charles at Dalkey on death of P A. John died at Dalkey
in April 1866
1849 John Downey - Gatekeeper
1866 Arthur Cavindish - Gatekeeper
1872 Thomas Hughes - Coachman
1875 Henry Anderson
1876 Hopton Lucas - Coachman/Gardener
1879 Patrick Fox - Ploughman (living onsite)
1888 Henry Quinn living at the gatelodge
1892 Henry Harris - Gardener (see birth of child)
1892 Thomas Ingoldsby - Coachman (birth of child)
1896 John Shekleton - Gardener
1901 Alice Gordon - Nurse
George McDowell - Yardman
John McCann - Coachman
Anna Gough - Parlourmaid
Mary Gough - Housemaid
Anne Moore - Cooke
1910 John Lalouette - Coachman
Edward McTernan - Servant
1911 Susan Jane Jenkinson - Housemaid
Mary Breen - Cook
Beatrice Carroll - Laundress
Bridget Farnan - Parlourmaid
Robert Currin - living on site
1947 Desmond O’Rourke
1951 - 1957 Charles Joseph Wilson
Woodley farmland
Approximately 35 acres with a small slated cottage rented out as farmland
1890 Patrick Quinn - Woodley Farm
1921 - 1940 Cornelius O'Connor - Woodley Farm
1940 Patrick Burke - Woodley Farm
1950 William Sweetman - Woodley Farm
CURRENT
STATUS both extant
CONTRIBUTORS © June Bow/Karen Poff
DATE November 2017