Templar Gate Lodge - Clonmellon village, Westmeath (Wednesday 22nd August 2018)
Templar Gate Lodge was one of the gate lodges to the estate of Killua Castle and is now a private residence. Constructed with ashlar limestone about 1800, it also has a front portico with Greek Ionic style columns that gives it character.
Clonmellon is a small rural village in County Westmeath on the N52 road between Ardee and Delvin. The origins of the village go back to around 1775 when Sir Benjamin Chapman of nearby Killua Castle built cabins for his estate workers. The official Irish name for Clonmellon is Ráistín along with its variants and it is believed that this is the name used by local Irish speakers since the early to mid 19th century. An alternative Irish name for the village was Cluain Mioláin and the earliest known English version of Clonmellon dates from the last quarter of the 19th century. As to its origins, I quote from the link below .... “A letter from Hugh Dillon, agent to Sir Thomas Chapman, to Lieutenant Wynne dated 11/3/1837 states: “The town of Clonmellon was first commenced by the late Sir Benjamin Chapman about between sixty and seventy years ago and got its name from a moat near the town called ‘Cruckmillion’”.
The original 18th century village consisted mainly of small thatched worker’s cottages and it was said the whole place had become shabby and an “embarrassment” to the landlord, Benjamin James Chapman MP. Therefore, during the 1830’s Benjamin had the village rebuilt and its current layout with market square dates from that time. Some buildings pre-date the 1830’s such as the Credit Union building, the Old Market Square and St John Church of Ireland.
Nearby attractions include Killua Castle with its attractive 19th century gate lodges and the Walter Raleigh obelisk (built c .1810), Ballinlough Castle with gardens and Drewstown Estate nature walk. Killua Castle was originally built around 1780 as a neo-classical style house which was remodelled and extended from the 1830’s to take the form of a Gothic style castle, as it appears today. The Chapman family originally settled in the area during the 1660’s, acquired a large estate there of around 9,000 acres and made it their family seat in Ireland. A full restoration of the castle building has been completed and the castle and its grounds are open to the public on Saturdays. The castle was a spectacular roofless ruin when it was purchased by its current owners (Allen & Lorena Krause) in 2000.
The seventh and final baronet, Sir Thomas Chapman (father of T.E. Lawrence) who lived at Killua Castle died in 1919 and after that, ownership passed through several owners. In 1944, its fittings were sold and not long after, the castle's roof was removed, its lead sold and exposure to the elements eventually caused its internal floors to collapse. As an impressive ruin, its roofless battlemented walls stood exposed and prey to vandals until its restoration some 65 years later.
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References:
www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&...
www.logainm.ie/en/1413957?s=Clonmellon (Origins of the name Clonmellon).
www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&... (Killua Castle).
dailyscribbling.com/the-secret-life-of-irish-castles/kill... (Give s a history of the Chapmans and Killua).
Templar Gate Lodge - Clonmellon village, Westmeath (Wednesday 22nd August 2018)
Templar Gate Lodge was one of the gate lodges to the estate of Killua Castle and is now a private residence. Constructed with ashlar limestone about 1800, it also has a front portico with Greek Ionic style columns that gives it character.
Clonmellon is a small rural village in County Westmeath on the N52 road between Ardee and Delvin. The origins of the village go back to around 1775 when Sir Benjamin Chapman of nearby Killua Castle built cabins for his estate workers. The official Irish name for Clonmellon is Ráistín along with its variants and it is believed that this is the name used by local Irish speakers since the early to mid 19th century. An alternative Irish name for the village was Cluain Mioláin and the earliest known English version of Clonmellon dates from the last quarter of the 19th century. As to its origins, I quote from the link below .... “A letter from Hugh Dillon, agent to Sir Thomas Chapman, to Lieutenant Wynne dated 11/3/1837 states: “The town of Clonmellon was first commenced by the late Sir Benjamin Chapman about between sixty and seventy years ago and got its name from a moat near the town called ‘Cruckmillion’”.
The original 18th century village consisted mainly of small thatched worker’s cottages and it was said the whole place had become shabby and an “embarrassment” to the landlord, Benjamin James Chapman MP. Therefore, during the 1830’s Benjamin had the village rebuilt and its current layout with market square dates from that time. Some buildings pre-date the 1830’s such as the Credit Union building, the Old Market Square and St John Church of Ireland.
Nearby attractions include Killua Castle with its attractive 19th century gate lodges and the Walter Raleigh obelisk (built c .1810), Ballinlough Castle with gardens and Drewstown Estate nature walk. Killua Castle was originally built around 1780 as a neo-classical style house which was remodelled and extended from the 1830’s to take the form of a Gothic style castle, as it appears today. The Chapman family originally settled in the area during the 1660’s, acquired a large estate there of around 9,000 acres and made it their family seat in Ireland. A full restoration of the castle building has been completed and the castle and its grounds are open to the public on Saturdays. The castle was a spectacular roofless ruin when it was purchased by its current owners (Allen & Lorena Krause) in 2000.
The seventh and final baronet, Sir Thomas Chapman (father of T.E. Lawrence) who lived at Killua Castle died in 1919 and after that, ownership passed through several owners. In 1944, its fittings were sold and not long after, the castle's roof was removed, its lead sold and exposure to the elements eventually caused its internal floors to collapse. As an impressive ruin, its roofless battlemented walls stood exposed and prey to vandals until its restoration some 65 years later.
.
References:
www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&...
www.logainm.ie/en/1413957?s=Clonmellon (Origins of the name Clonmellon).
www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&... (Killua Castle).
dailyscribbling.com/the-secret-life-of-irish-castles/kill... (Give s a history of the Chapmans and Killua).