Beaulieu House

Beaulieu House, County Louth

Beaulieu House was built c. 1715 on land that was granted to Sir Henry Tichbourne in 1642.

Courtesy of the NIAH

Beaulieu House, County Louth
Courtesy of the NIAH

Beaulieu House, County Louth

Beaulieu House was built c. 1715 on land that was granted to Sir Henry Tichbourne in 1642.

Courtesy of the NIAH

Enlarge image

Reg. No: 13902509

Date: 1710 - 1720

Previous Name: N/A

Townland: BEAULIEU

County: County Louth

Categories of Special Interest: ARCHITECTURAL ARTISTIC HISTORICAL SOCIAL

Rating: National

Original Use: Country House

In Use As: Country House

Description

Detached two-storey with dormer attic country house, built c. 1715, incorporating fabric of earlier building. West elevation main house with central three-bay entrance flanked by two-bay breakfronts, south elevation six-bays wide, single-storey rendered billiard room projecting centrally from east elevation with pitched slate roof set behind parapet wall and canted bay to east side. Hipped slate roof, lead hips, lead central flats, red brick chimneystacks with recessed panels, pilasters to corners, projecting strings, cast in-situ concrete caps; dormer windows with hipped slate roofs, lead-capped ridges and hips, painted timber moulded eaves cornice, lead cheeks; cast-iron gutters on wrought-iron brackets fixed to painted timber overhanging modillion bracketed eaves cornice, elaborately carved modillions to north, west and south sides, timber brackets to east side; rectangular section cast-iron downpipes decorative lugs.

Unpainted ruled-and-lined smooth rendered walling, channelled straight quoins, moulded plinth; moulded red brick cornice at first floor, stepped and moulded brick architrave below modillion eaves. Square-headed window openings, red brick jambs, rubbed brick heads, moulded brick sills, painted timber exposed case sliding sash windows, six-over-six panes to ground and first floor, three-over-three to attic; smooth rendered surrounds to billiard room bay window, dressed ashlar stone sills, hardwood horned sliding sash windows, six-over-six to centre window, four-over-four to flanking windows.

Square-headed door openings to west and south elevations with finely jointed red brick dressings, flanking pilasters with carved stone capitals on moulded pedestals, rubbed brick arches, carved console over west entrance, stepped architraves, plain frieze, segmental pediment with dentilled cornice and carved swags in tympanum to main entrance, plain pediments to south elevation, hardwood double doors to main entrance each with two round-headed panels within semi-circular head, wrought-iron diamond-headed studs, oak leaf carving in spandrels to inner face, hung on heavy hardwood timber frame set within brick opening, opening outwards, heavy timber threshold, limestone approach steps; painted timber panelled doors to south elevation, set in painted render moulded architrave, two lower panels, upper panels glazed, six-pane overlight, granite approach steps. Interior with full-height entrance hall, hardwood boarded floor, painted plaster walls with painted timber moulded skirtings, dado picture rail and deeply moulded cornice, swagged frieze; painted anaglypta ceiling paper; painted timber pilastered entrance doorcase, carved semi-circular entablature over with weapons inset, painted moulded architraves to doors to east side each with carved mouldings in overpanels; painted rendered double-height fireplace on north wall with pilasters, moulded cornices and inset painting of Drogheda in blank panel over segmental-headed fire opening.

Dining room with painted panelled walls, deeply moulded cornice, central roundel to ceiling with moulded quadrants to each corner, panelled shutters to window openings. Woodblock flooring to sitting room, painted panelled walls, ceiling with elaborate oval central panel containing painting with moulded quadrants each richly decorated to corners, painted timber panelled linings to windows, painted timber six-panel door to entrance hall with deeply moulded architrave.

Square ante-room to east of entrance hall, painted timber boarded floor, painted plaster panelled walls, diagonal fireplace in north-east corner, plain deeply-moulded cornice, plain ceiling, painted timber panelled double doors to entrance each with four raised-and-fielded lower panels and leaded light upper panels, hardwood screen with double doors each with single lower panel and glass upper panel leading to billiard room. Rectangular-plan to billiard room to east of ante-room, canted bay to east side, hardwood boarded floor, raised dais to bay, hardwood panelled walls with dado and dentilled cornice with plain boarding over, timber sheeted inclined ceiling, hardwood trusses on stone corbels projecting above panelling, glazed lantern light.

Main stairwell to north-east, painted plaster walls, picture rail bas-relief frieze, deeply moulded plain timber cornice, painted plain plaster ceiling, staircase with painted timber treads, risers, carved scrolls to outer ends, upper flight cantilevered, reeded wall lining, painted timber outer balusters, fluted newels with carved Corinthian capitals, hardwood handrail on painted timber under section.

Set in demesne, kitchen block to north-east, stableyard to north-west, gravel approach driveway to forecourt flanked by lawns, approach flanked by red brick walls set in rubble stone base to south, church to south-west, lawns descending to south to reclaimed land to River Boyne, walled garden to south-west, wrought-iron entrance gate screen with moat to west.

Appraisal

This superb mansion, set in a wooded demesne, is built on lands which were granted to Sir Henry Tichbourne in 1642. Still remaining in the Tichbourne family, the property has many historic and social links. Traditionally thought to have been built c. 1660, recent research suggests that the current house was built c. 1715. However, the style of the building, with its Dutch influenced dormers, chimneystacks and steep roofs, is old fashioned for that date. The superbly-crafted finely-jointed red brickwork dressings to openings is of particular note. Carved modillion cornice console brackets are well wrought. The steeply-pitched slated roof with projecting dormers gives the building a distinctive flavour.