My ancestors - Humphrys - Contents

Kingswood after Humphreys

"Ard Soluis", Kingswood, Clondalkin, Co.Dublin, was the home of the Humphreys family, who built it in 1934-35.
The Humphreys family left Ard Soluis in 2001.
The family sold Ard Soluis to the adjoining Citywest Business Campus, think 2001.
The house and site were sold for development.
No development took place for many years. The house fell into ruins.
Bright Horizons child care centre was built right beside Ard Soluis in 2003, just before the entrance (i.e. on the NE side). Address: 4008-4010 Kingswood Rd, Citywest Business Campus, Dublin 22.
The house still existed in ruins as at 2017.

Housing estate "Ardsolus":
In early 2018, Alanna Homes bought the site from Citywest.
The site was entirely cleared in 2018 and a housing estate built, opening in late 2018.
Nothing remains. The house and outbuildings are gone. Even the avenue was wiped out, and a new entrance made.
The housing estate kept the name though, and is called "Ardsolus". The address is Brownsbarn, Co. Dublin (the townland).
The house styles are given different names. The 8 largest houses are called "The Humphreys" style.
Alanna Homes say: "The name "Ardsolus" was the original name on the house that once stood here. It was a family home owned by the Humphreys where a wonderful Orchard was also located and hence the names of the houses are all a variety of apples."

2007 photos of Kingswood in ruins

The entrance drive.
See full size.

Kingswood. The drive overgrown.
Photo 2007. See full size.

The front (S side).
See full size.

The front (S side).
See full size.
See left and right and other shot.

The back (N side).
See full size.
See left and right.

The W facing porch.
Old garden bench on the overgrown croquet lawn.
See full size.
See broken croquet mallets left behind.

2007 videos of Kingswood in ruins

The front (S side). Pan from right to left.
Showing the front courtyard completely overgrown.
Size: 6.3 M.

The front (S side). Pan from left to right.
Size: 6.9 M.

The back (N side). Pan from left to right.
Size: 7.7 M.

The W side. The overgrown croquet lawn and the W porch.
Size: 9.7 M.

Later photos

Kingswood on Google street view 2009. Entrance gate on N side.

Kingswood on Google street view 2011.
Trees cleared. House in ruins but still exists.

Kingswood in ruins.
Photo 2012 from S side (SAP building).
See full size and other shot.
See planning notice proposing demolition of the house.

Kingswood in ruins, but still existing, on Google street view 2017.

Kingswood gone, 2018

The site completely cleared on Google satellite view 2018.

Drone flyover, June 2018.
From Alanna Homes.

Drone flyover, Aug 2018.
From Alanna Homes.

Plan of the new housing estate "Ardsolus".
See full size.
From ardsolus.ie.

The different house styles.
The largest house style is called "The Humphreys".
From ardsolus.ie.

Entrance to the new housing estate "Ardsolus".
Photo 2018. See full size. See other shot.

I think the E side hedgerow and boundary ditch are survivors from the old Ard Soluis.
This is the view from the front (N) looking down the E side.
Photo 2018. See full size. See other shot.

Further S into the site, a view along the E hedge looking back up N.
Photo 2018. See full size.
And see photo from the same position looking S towards the SAP building.