My wife's ancestors - Fitzwilliam - Contents

The main block, Mount Merrion House

The main block of Mount Merrion House (built 1711, now demolished).
Photo published in [Irish Country Houses]. Picture credit Rolf Loeber.
Used here with permission of Rolf Loeber.
Photo would be taken from what is now the new (N Avenue) car park, i.e. the Lodge is the building just seen on the right here.
On the left behind the wall seen here was a little garden and courtyard for the N entrance door. The wall is now gone and replaced with modern walls.

The main block of Mount Merrion was built along with the stables in 1711.
They have the same late 17th century - early 18th century style.
The Lodge was built beside the main block in c.1727.

[Ball, vol.2, 1903] is clear that this main block is the original building: "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] says the 6th Viscount (succ 1743, died 1776) made alterations "including the building of the front of the house, which does little credit to the Irish workmen whom alone he employed".

Mount Merrion House was acquired in 1935 by the Catholic church.
The main block became a primary school.
The primary school in the main block was replaced in 1963 with a new school built beside the church.
After this the main block 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 1976, along with the RHS stable block.
The new Community Centre (attached to the Lodge) was built on the site of the main block.
Community Centre was re-built and expanded when The Lodge was restored 2003.

Sketch of Mount Merrion House, 1762.
Drawn in corner of Barker's map.
From Mount Merrion 300. Used with permission.
See black and white scan.

The Lodge, Mount Merrion, "seen from the lawn", 1806, by William Ashford.
[Ball, vol.2, 1903] describes a tiny belfry on the W wall of the main block, which is visible here.
Used here with the kind permission of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Mount Merrion House, must be c.1800, by William Ashford.
From the W (the park), looking E down the avenue.
(Left to Right): The main block, the lodge, the avenue, the stables.
Used here with the kind permission of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

"Mount Merrion: view near the farm", 1806, by William Ashford.
Used here with the kind permission of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

"Mount Merrion: the farm", 1806, by William Ashford.
Used here with the kind permission of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Mount Merrion House.
Photo 1934. Just before conversion of the Lodge into a chapel.
Belfry visible on main block.
From Mount Merrion Historical Society. Used with permission. Also at Mount Merrion 300.

Mount Merrion House in 1940s.
The Lodge is now a chapel.
Belfry now gone from main block.
From Mount Merrion 300 exhibition. Used with permission.
See full size.

Mount Merrion House, would be c.1940s.
Notice how a belfry has now appeared on the Lodge. Think this is the belfry removed from the main block.
From Mount Merrion 300 exhibition. Used with permission.
See full size.

1950s videos

Videos by Paddy Kilroy. From Mount Merrion Historical Society. Used with permission.

Compilation video, c.early 1950s.
Cover shot shows the main block and Lodge, c.1950.
See original FLV. Converted to MP4.

Back (E side) of the main block, c.1950.
Screenshots from the above.

Video of mass at the proposed site of the new church, c.1950.
Cover shot shows the main block.
See original FLV. Converted to MP4.

The N avenue approach to the main block, c.1950.
Screenshots from the above.

The main block, c.1950.
Screenshots from the above.

Video of mass in the old church (The Lodge), c.1950.
Video shows back and front of the overcrowded church.
Cover shot shows back (E side) of the main block.
See original FLV. Converted to MP4.

1950s to 1970s photos

Mount Merrion House, c.1958.
Detail of this picture.

Wider view of above.

Mount Merrion House in 1976 (just before main block demolished).
From [Davis, 1976]. From Mount Merrion 300.
See full size.

Photos of site

The Community Centre in 1999.
The former site of the main block of Mount Merrion House.

The re-built Community Centre in 2005.
From video.

The Community Centre in 2005.
From video.

The belfry

Think the belfry was removed from the main block and put on the Lodge when the latter was converted into a church in 1936.
This would make the belfry the only part of the main block that survives.

The belfry on the Lodge. View from the W.
Photo 2012. See full size.
See wider shot.

The belfry on the Lodge. View from the E.
Photo 2012. See full size.
See wider shot.

Return to Mount Merrion House.