Red House (Youghal) Explained

Red House, Youghal
Native Name:An Teach Dearg
Native Name Lang:ga
Map Type:Ireland Youghal#Ireland
Building Type:House
Classification:Protected structure[1]
Address:North Main Street
Location Town:Youghal
Location Country:Ireland
Coordinates:51.9556°N -7.8504°W
Altitude:5m (16feet)
Namesake:terracotta bricks used in original construction
Groundbreaking Date:c. 1703
Destruction Date:-->
Floor Count:4
Architect:Claud Leuventhen

The Red House is an 18th-century William and Mary style house located in Youghal, Ireland.[2] [3] [4] [5]

Location

The Red House is located on Youghal's main street, about east of Myrtle Grove and St. Mary's Collegiate Church.[6]

History

The Red House was built c. 1703–1710 and designed by the Dutch architect Claud Leuventhen for the wealthy Uniacke family. The name derives from the terracotta bricks used, then a novelty in Ireland.[7] Another unusual feature of the period is the lack of windowsills and the pewter pelmets.[8] It originally had two wings; one is now converted into the Imperial Hotel.[9]

Thomas Farrell, a Justice of the Peace, owned the Red House in the early 20th century;[10] he bought a conservatory at the 1900 Paris Exposition, which blew away in the 1930s. Claud Cockburn and Patricia Cockburn were regular visitors.[8]

The house later was a parochial house and stained glass was added.[11] In 1980 it was bought by Eamonn Keane of Fáilte Ireland; he and his wife renovated the house in the 1980s.[12]

Description

The Red House is a four-storey, seven-bay William and Mary style townhouse with seven bedrooms and a terrazzo, with original Wainscoting in the walls.[12] The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage says that "The design of the building is distinctly Dutch, considering features such as the gentle breakfront, central pediment, and steeply pitched roof with dormer windows. The carved limestone dressings are particularly notable as fine examples of eighteenth-century skilled craftsmanship. This house is a rare and fine example of early eighteenth-century urban architecture to remain in its original form."[13]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: List of Protected Structures . youghal.ie . 5 November 2021.
  2. Web site: Youghal heritage home a red ticket item. Tommy. Barker. June 11, 2020. Irish Examiner.
  3. Web site: Red House. Youghal.
  4. Web site: Youghal. The Irish Aesthete.
  5. Web site: The Red House in Youghal is for sale. Why not live in a huge doll house near the seaside?. July 6, 2020.
  6. Book: Oram, Hugh. Hugh Oram's French Blogs. September 29, 2014. Trafford Publishing. 9781490722740. Google Books.
  7. Web site: 1710 – The Red House, Youghal, Co. Cork. August 9, 2012.
  8. Book: Groeger, Kieran. The Little Book of Youghal. December 8, 2016. History Press. 9780750981569. Google Books.
  9. Web site: Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society. Cork Historical and Archaeological. Society. September 29, 1894. The Society. Google Books.
  10. Web site: The Mercantile Navy List. September 29, 1937. H.M. Stationery Office. Google Books.
  11. Web site: Seeing red: Centuries-old mansion in the centre of an east Cork town. Amy. Mulvaney. TheJournal.ie.
  12. Web site: Landmark townhouse with 300-year history for €595,000. The Irish Times.
  13. Web site: The Red House, North Main Street, YOUGHAL-LANDS, Youghal, CORK. Buildings of Ireland.