Emo Court

Last updated

Emo Court, northern elevation Emo Court, Co. Laois, July 2013.JPG
Emo Court, northern elevation

Emo Court, located near the village of Emo in County Laois, Ireland, is a large neo-classical mansion. Architectural features of the building include sash-style windows, pavilions, a balustrade, a hipped roof, and large dome.

Contents

It was designed by the architect James Gandon in 1790 for John Dawson, the first Earl of Portarlington. It is one of the few houses to have been designed by Gandon. [1] Other buildings by Gandon include the Custom House and Kings Inns in Dublin.

While construction commenced in the 1790s, the first Earl died in 1798, and work was not completed until the tenure of the third Earl of Portarlington in the 1860s. [2] Passing through several owners through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the house and gardens were taken into ownership by the Irish state in the 1990s. Now managed by the Office of Public Works, the estate is open to visitors. [3]

History

Eighteenth and nineteenth century construction

Emo Park
(circa 1900-1920) Emo Park, Portarlington, Co. Laois (22609660763).jpg
Emo Park
(circa 1900–1920)

When John Dawson, 1st Earl of Portarlington died in 1798, his new house was under construction but far from finished. [4] The second Earl, also John Dawson, employed new architects to continue the work. [2] The building became habitable during his lifetime.

At his death 47 years later, the main building was still unfinished, and in the aftermath of the Great Famine (1845–1852), came near to being sold. By the 1860s, the third earl, Henry Dawson-Damer succeeded in bringing Emo Court to a state closely resembling that which stands today. [2] Some elements of the basic structure are faithful to the original plans of James Gandon. However, while Gandon was involved in the first twenty years of its building, given how long the building was in development, little more than his name can be connected with the house which finally came into being.[ citation needed ]

At some time between 1884 and 1902, the London firm Merryweather & Sons installed a water supply system at Emo. Intended for domestic needs and potential fire fighting, an illustration of the arrangements, involving a 'Hatfield' pump, appeared in Merryweather's adverts. [5] In the same project, Merryweather installed a Safety Electric Lighting system. [6]

Early twentieth century decline

Emo Court was in its heyday in the final forty years of the nineteenth century. However, after the outbreak of World War I in 1914, and, two years later, the Easter Rising and subsequent War of Independence, the Earls of Portarlington, like many Protestants and most of the Anglo-Irish nobility and gentry, left what would become the Irish Free State permanently, and the house was shut up. In 1920, the estate, which extended over nearly 20 square miles (52 km2), was sold to the Irish Land Commission. [2] The house remained unoccupied, while most of the land was distributed to local farmers.[ citation needed ]

Jesuits at Emo

In 1930 the house was acquired by the Jesuits, with the house and 280 acres purchased for £2000. [7]

The deeds were signed on 19 February 1930, and Emo Court became known as St Mary's, Emo. The house was opened as the Novitiate of the Irish Province on 4 August 1930, and novices transferred from St Stanislaus' College, Tullamore. There were 52 novices that year. One of the first Jesuit priests to live there was noted photographer Father Francis Browne. As landlords, the Jesuits turned the grounds into a productive farm and orchard and used part of them for playing fields. Some major changes were made in the interior, to provide a chapel and assembly room. [2]

In the 1960s, it became apparent that St Mary's Emo was too isolated for the more modern ideas about training novices for work with the Society. [2] In the late 1960s, the number of Novices had diminished, so that in the final years at St Mary's Emo, there were 15 Novices remaining. [2] This meant that it was expensive to run the house for so few men, even with visitors coming to stay for various reasons. Over 500 young men had begun their lives as Jesuits at Emo. [7] In September 1969, the Jesuits left Emo for Manresa House, Dollymount, North Dublin.

Major Cholmeley Harrison to present

A new chapter began for Emo Court when the Jesuits sold the property to Major Cholmeley Harrison in 1969. [8] Cholmeley Harrison commissioned the London architect Sir Albert Richardson, a leading authority on Georgian architecture, to take on the restoration of the house. [2]

While the house remained a private residence, the public were encouraged to enjoy the gardens every Sunday for a fee. [9]

The final phase began in 1994 when Cholmeley Harrison presented Emo Court to the President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, who received it on behalf of the people of Ireland. [1] Cholmeley Harrison continued to live there in private apartments until his death, aged 99 in July 2008. [1] [4] Staff of the Office of Public Works (OPW) now care for the estate. [10]

House and gardens

Beech wood in Emo Court IMG WoodsatEmoCourt5145.jpg
Beech wood in Emo Court

The approach to Emo Court is through a gateway, and along a driveway which runs for some distance through a beech wood before opening up to an avenue lined by giant sequoias. [11] These large trees were first introduced in 1853 and named Wellingtonias in honour of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who died the previous year. [12] There is a visitor car park to the side of the house. To the left are coach houses and servants' quarters, to the right mature trees and in the centre the entrance front, dominated by a pediment supported by four Ionic pillars. The Earl's coat of arms fills the pediment and, to left and right, are eighteenth-century friezes depicting agriculture and the arts.[ citation needed ]

Inside the house, an octagonal entrance hall has doors in each of its four angles. Two of them really are entrances to other rooms. The others to give a balanced effect. [11] A larger doorway leads to the rotunda (inspired by the Pantheon), a key feature of the mansion and also the way into two of the major rooms and out to the garden. [2] Completed about 1860 by the Dublin architect William Caldbeck, it is two storeys high, surmounted by a dome which extends above the roof line of the rest of the house. [2] Pilasters of Siena marble support the ornate ceiling. [13]

Close up of a Tibetan cherry tree in Emo Court Gardens Tibetan Cherry Tree.jpg
Close up of a Tibetan cherry tree in Emo Court Gardens

The gardens at Emo are 35 hectares of landscaped grounds, [14] with formal areas, woodland walks, statues and a 20-acre lake – a feature of neoclassical landscape design. Many of the original statues were found in the waters of the lake and it is suspected they found their way there during the time the Jesuits were living in the property, who wanted to hide pagan nudity of figures, where they survived until their eventual discovery and restoration.[ citation needed ] The gardens are divided into two main areas. The Clucker, which contains some rare specimen trees and glades of azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias and other shrubs. The Grapery is an arboretum though which wind a series of pathways, several opening to views of the surrounding Slieve Bloom Mountains or towards the house. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portlaoise</span> Town in County Laois, Ireland

Portlaoise, or Port Laoise, is the county town of County Laois, Ireland. It is located in the South Midlands in the province of Leinster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Laois</span> County in Ireland

County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Historically, it has also been known as County Leix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Custom House</span> Government building in Dublin, Ireland

The Custom House is a neoclassical 18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It is located on the north bank of the River Liffey, on Custom House Quay between Butt Bridge and Talbot Memorial Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Portarlington</span> Title in the peerage of Ireland

Earl of Portarlington is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1785 for John Dawson, 2nd Viscount Carlow, who had earlier represented Portarlington in the Irish House of Commons. He was the son of William Dawson, 1st Viscount Carlow, who had represented Portarlington and Queen's County in the Irish House of Commons, and had been created Baron Dawson, of Dawson's Court in the Queen's County, in 1770, and Viscount Carlow, in the County of Carlow, in 1776. These titles were also in the Peerage of Ireland. The first Earl was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He was a Colonel in the 23rd Light Dragoons but disappeared the night before the Battle of Waterloo and thus missed the start of the battle. He then attached himself to the 18th Hussars, but after the battle was forced to resign his commission in disgrace, fell into dissipation and 'died in an obscure London slum'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portarlington, County Laois</span> Town in counties Laois and Offaly, Ireland

Portarlington, historically called Cooletoodera, is a town on the border of County Laois and County Offaly, Ireland. The River Barrow forms the border. Portarlington is around 70 kilometres (43 mi) west of Dublin. The town was recorded in the 2022 census as having a population of 9,288.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roscrea</span> Town in County Tipperary, Ireland

Roscrea is a market town in County Tipperary, Ireland, which in 2016 had a population of 5,446. Roscrea is one of the oldest towns in Ireland, having developed around the 7th century monastery of Saint Crónán of Roscrea, parts of which remain preserved today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emo, County Laois</span> Village near Portlaoise, Ireland

Emo is a village in County Laois, Ireland. It is located near Portlaoise on the R422 regional road just off the M7 Dublin–Limerick motorway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Gandon</span> British architect

James Gandon was an English architect best known for his work in Ireland during the late 18th century and early 19th century. His better known works include The Custom House and the surrounding Beresford Place, the Four Courts and the King's Inns in Dublin and Emo Court in County Laois.

St Stanislaus College was a Jesuit boys boarding school, novitiate and philosophy school, in Tullabeg, Rahan, County Offaly. St Carthage founded a monastery of 800 monks there in 595 before founding his monastery in Lismore. The Presentation Sisters also have a convent in Rahan, Killina, which was founded at the same time as the Jesuits founded St Stanislaus College.

Portarlington was a parliamentary borough partly in King's County but mostly in Queen's County. It returned two members to the Parliament of Ireland, from 1692 until the Union of Ireland and Great Britain on 1 January 1801.

Events from the year 1790 in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Fisher (painter)</span>

Jonathan Fisher was an Irish painter and engraver.

Sir Richard Morrison was an Irish architect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manresa House, Dublin</span> Jesuit retreat house, Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland

Manresa House is a retreat centre run by the Society of Jesus in the Dollymount area of Clontarf in Dublin, near Saint Anne's Park. In the 19th century it was home to Robert Warren and Arthur Guinness, and it is a protected structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garryhinch ambush</span> Provisional IRA attack against the Garda Síochána, 1976

The Garryhinch ambush was a surprise attack on the Garda Síochána by the Provisional IRA on 16 October 1976. A bomb planted by the IRA in a farmhouse at Garryhinch on the County Laois-County Offaly border in the Republic of Ireland was detonated. Garda Michael Clerkin was killed in the blast, and four other Gardaí at the scene were badly wounded. The incident was one of the few occasions during The Troubles when police officers in the Republic of Ireland were deliberately targeted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portnahinch</span> Barony in County Laois, Ireland

Portnahinch or Portnehinch (Irish: Port na hInse is a barony in County Laois, Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Dawson-Damer, 5th Earl of Portarlington</span>

Lionel George Henry Seymour Dawson-Damer, 5th Earl of Portarlington JP DL was a British peer and landowner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heywood House Gardens</span> Garden in County Laois, Ireland

Heywood House Gardens, generally Heywood Gardens, form the grounds of a now-vanished house in County Laois, Ireland. The estate was developed in the late 18th century by Michael Frederick Trench, a politician, landowner and architect. He built a substantial house and laid out an extensive park, under the direction of James Gandon. In the early 20th century, Heywood was owned by Sir Hutcheson Poë who commissioned Edwin Lutyens to develop the gardens immediately surrounding the house. Lutyens engaged his long-time collaborator Gertrude Jekyll to undertake the planting. The house was demolished after a fire in 1950 and the gardens are now in the care of the Office of Public Works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lionel Dawson-Damer, 6th Earl of Portarlington</span>

Lionel Arthur Henry Seymour Dawson-Damer, 6th Earl of Portarlington was an Anglo-Irish peer and soldier.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Benefactor who gave Emo Court to State (Obituary)". The Irish Times. 2 August 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Emo Court - A Resource Book" (PDF). emocourt.net. Office of Public Works. 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  3. "Emo Court". heritageireland.ie. Heritage Ireland. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Ireland's largest Norman castle was built by a womaniser who ended up being decapitated". The Journal. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  5. Illustrated London News 27 August 1904
  6. Merryweather & Sons catalogue, 1906, page 338
  7. 1 2 "The Jesuits and Emo Court". EmoCourt.net. Archived from the original on 18 July 2013.
  8. "Laois Heritage Trail - Emo Court". laois.ie. Laois County Council. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  9. Marianne Heron (1999). Gardens of Ireland. Dublin. pp. 85–87. ISBN   0-7171-2936-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. "Press Release - Minister Hayes views new developments at Emo Court & Heywood Gardens". merrionstreet.ie. Government of Ireland. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  11. 1 2 "Castles of Ireland - Emo Court". britainirelandcastles.com. Britain Ireland Castles. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  12. "Laois Education Centre Archive - Sequoiadendron (Wellingtonia)". laoisedcentre.ie. Laois Education Centre. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  13. "Emo Court, Emo Court Demesne, County Laois". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  14. 1 2 "Emo Court Gardens". discoverireland.ie. Fáilte Ireland. Retrieved 4 November 2018.

53°06′26″N7°11′48″W / 53.1072°N 7.1968°W / 53.1072; -7.1968