Mount Merrion House, the main block

The main block was attached to the Lodge.
Think it was built by the 6th Viscount, i.e. post-1743. It appears on Jonathan Barker's map of 1762 [NAI].
[Ball, vol.2, 1903] says the 6th Viscount made alterations "including the building of the front of the house, which does little credit to the Irish workmen whom alone he employed".
[Wilkinson, 1925] describes Mount Merrion as a Georgian mansion built "as an addition to the existing stone hall" (must be the Lodge), though he says the mansion was built c.1727.

"A modern front of singularly poor design disfigures the original house, which was three storeys in height, while the front, as it stands on higher ground, is only of two, but through the verdure one sees peeping out tiers of quaint old-fashioned windows and a tiny belfry surmounting the western wall. In its style of architecture the original house resembled the existing stables, which bear the date 1711, and although of small extent it contained one or two fine rooms, now divided, with deep window seats, curious door frames, and moulded cornices, which show it to have been internally a handsome dwelling." - [Ball, vol.2, 1903]

The main block served as a primary national school until 1963, when the new school beside the church was built (see plaque on new school).
After this it was used as the old scout hall, but in the 1970s fell into disrepair. It had a grand, wide staircase, which became dangerous as the building was left derelict.
It was demolished around 1976, when the new scout hall was built across the car park on the site of the RHS stable block.
The new Community Centre (which is also attached to the Lodge) was built on this site 1979.
Community Centre rebuilt as the adjacent Lodge was restored 2003.

The former site of the main (newer) block of Mount Merrion House, now occupied by the Community Centre.
Photo 1999.

Community Centre, 2005. From video.

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