King House
by Susan Gadsby
The story of King House unfolds over 250 years. During that time many different people have lived here. The house has also had many different roles: as a home, as a military barracks, as an office and even as a store. Built as a family home by Sir Henry King between 1720 and 1740, King House was the 18th century home of the Earl of Kingston. Through marriage and conquest the family became one of the premier land owning families in Ireland.
The Abbey-Boyle estate which had been the property of the Cistercian Monks, was leased in 1603 to John Bingley and John King, both of whom had come to Connaught with Sir Richard Bingham during the Elizabethan wars. In 1617 the Abbey lands (totalling 4127 acres and included the site of the present town of Boyle), were granted in fee to Sir John King of Straffordshire whose ancestors came from Northallerton, Yorkshire. Previously the lands surrounding Boyle belonged to the MacDermot clan. Sir John King had been granted his land for “reducing the Irish to obedience”, achieved in part through violent subjugation and by the enforcement of the notorious anti-Catholic Penal Laws.
King House is one of the more important early Georgian classical townhouses in Ireland. The house represents the heyday of what was known as the Ascendancy. Dating from the early 18th century its design is attributed to Edward Lovett Pearce, Richard Cassell or William Halfpenny who were the most eminent Irish architects of their time. Sadly there are no surviving records of how King house was constructed.
King House is built symmetrically on four floors in a U-shape. It is almost certain that it would have been rectangular if the grand entrance had been completed as there is telltale evidence that requires closer inspection. Compared to the southern side of the house, which faces the River Boyle, the entrance can be seen to be unadorned and plain. During restoration postholes were found in the walls, which would have held beams. Also the brick dividing walls were visible. There may also have been a possibility that the house could have been planned with wings, as there is evidence in the construction of door-brick to help stop the spread of fire and was also well suited for building vaults, but the use of brick was unusual in traditional building in Ireland. Carpenters played a huge role providing scaffolding and roofing the house.
Of particular note is the main gallery with its tripartite windows on four storeys, the original fine stone tiled floor laid in the pattern “carreaux d’octagnes” (paint can still be seen on the floor from where the building was used as a store), fireplace and front door. The fireplaces, which formed the visual centre piece of an early Georgian room, were constructed from Kilkenny marble which is limestone polished to resemble marble and distinguished by embedded fossils. (note pea pod design on the original fireplace in the gallery). Also of note are the extensive vaulted ceilings on all floors (possibly unique to Ireland) and the splendid main salon on the first floor with its high ceiling and decorative cornice.
Following a fire in 1788, which probably burnt the greater part of the house but was afterwards rebuilt to its present shape, the King family vacated King House and built another large house two miles away at their Rockingham estate. Later the building was a barracks for the British and Irish armies. It was initially leased to the British Army who then bought the house in 1795 for £3000. During the 19th century it was the home of the Connaught Rangers. It became the headquarters of the Roscommon Militia and with the founding of the Irish Free State the Irish Army moved in. In 1960 the main house with the north and east ground moved into private ownership and was used as a store. The Army continued to occupy the west range and south yard.
In the 1970s tenders were invited for its demolition to make space for a car park. In 1987 it was acquired by Roscommon County Council in a very bad state of repair, so much so that sycamore trees were growing out of the high pitched roof! The council had the foresight to restore the property and retain it for cultural purposes. Restoration began in 1989. This entailed maintaining the house as Georgian as was possible, which included the replacement of panel doors. The only evidence of panelling was in the Long Gallery, but only to waist height. It is thought there could have been panelling throughout the house. Relief stucco in the stairwells was sadly not found during restoration, it was believed to have been removed during the military occupancy.
Today the house is open as a visitor centre. An exciting new walkway through the attic was opened in March 2006 that reveals the structure of the house to visitors. The building gives an insight into Irish life and people for the past 500 years through four historical exhibitions. King House is a venue for many cultural events such as exhibitions, recitals, films and seminars. It houses a permanent exhibition of contemporary Irish art and is closely associated with the very successful Boyle Arts Festival.
THE KING FAMILY
Sir John King married Catherine Drury in 1603 who was the grandniece of the Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1578. His grants of lands together with other numerous privileges took place over a period of years from 1603 to 1621.
Sir John King was an M.P. for the county of Roscommon and by his wife had six sons and three daughters. Hs fourth son Edward was born and baptised at Boyle and was a fellow at Cambridge and friend of the poet Milton. Milton wrote the well-known poem “Lycidas” as a tribute after Edward King was drowned in the Irish Sea when returning to Ireland in 1637, at the age of 25. Sir John King died in Dublin or possibly Lichfield in Staffordshire in 1636 and was buried at Boyle Abbey.
His descendant Sir Henry King 3rd Baronet was M.P. for Boyle and Co. Roscommon from 1707 to 1739. He married Isabella, sister of Visount Powerscourt, in April 1722 and had by her three sons and four daughters. He built King House around 1730 and it was his wife who insisted that there be large Venetian windows to let in plenty of light and airiness.
There had been a 75-year-old feud between the two branches of the family which was (temporarily) ended in 1769 by the marriage of Robert 2nd Viscount Kingston to Caroline granddaughter of James, Baron Kingston of Michelstown. Their son George was born one year later.
In 1794 George’s eldest son Edward, Viscount Kingsborough, was the most celebrated man the family produced. Though almost unknown today in England, or even in Ireland, his name and fame will certainly endure, as long as civilisation exists, from his monumental work, “Kingsborough Antiquities of Mexico”. He was born probably in London but possibly in Dublin on the 10 November 1795 and educated at Eton and Oxford. His imagination was fired while at Oxford by a Mexican manuscript in the Bodleain Library and he devoted his life and financial resources to the production of his famous book, which was published first in 1831 in nine volumes at £170 a copy.
For the King family, establishing themselves in Ireland was a process of determined and successful social climbing; inheriting a baronetcy in 1755. By 1768 Edward King had ensured his elevation to Earl of Kingston. This laid the foundation of the King family so firmly that for nearly 300 years they remained among the wealthiest, most extensively landed and most influential of the Protestant-Ascendancy families in Ireland.
BOYLE BARRACKS
The Earl of Kingston sold the house to the War Office in 1775 for £3000. It was consequently converted into infantry barracks for twelve officers and 260 non-commissioned officers and private foot soldiers. There was stabling for five horses and hospital with 30 beds. In the 1800s living conditions in most barracks were overcrowded and uncomfortable. Hygiene and ventilation were poor. Compared with most barracks King House with its lofty ceilings and numerous windows was almost luxurious. By 1914 the soldiers had the comparative luxury of a billiards room, coffee room and gymnasium.
In 1921 the barracks was a British stronghold garrisoned by the Bedfordshire Regiment, with the RIC and a group of Black and Tans stationed in the District Headquarters beside the main gate of the barracks. On July 12th 1922 the Connaught Rangers were disbanded. In February of that year the British Army began to withdraw form Ireland and the new Irish Government began to recruit volunteers into the Irish National Army.
On the 24 July 1923 the Third Infantry Battalion “The Bloods” moved to Boyle and into Dockery Barracks (Boyle Barracks), named after the Commanding Officer of the North Roscommon Brigade IRA, who was killed in Boyle in the civil war in 1922. A local man remembered that when the weather was wet the soldiers were drilled in the main gallery.
It was continued to be used as a military establishment until the 1930s and was reoccupied during the “Emergency” of 1938-1945, by the 8th Thomand Battalion, the 11th Cycle Squadron and the 4th Motor Squadron.
KING HOUSE TODAY
King House now incorporates the Interpretive Centre which details the turbulent history and elaborate pageantry of Connaught Kings and Chieftains and traces the history of Boyle and the King family. Wander through the many rooms of King House and explore the interactive exhibitions.
PLEASURE GARDENS
The Pleasure Grounds and carpark area are located south of the façade of King House and would have originally been the Georgian gardens attached to the property. During a time when King House was a Military Barracks the Pleasure Grounds were the location for military band recitals and displays. In later years the area was also a home to the Boyle Lawn Tennis Club. Today the newly landscaped gardens provide a pleasant riverside walk with picnic tables and fine views of King House. There is also a children’s adventure playground and an all-weather recreation area.
THE RESTORATION
The house was vacated in 1969 and became a storage and fuel depot. It fell rapidly into decay and dereliction. Roscommon County Council acquired King House on behalf of the county in 1987, more than a quarter of a millennium after it was first built by Sir Henry King. In 1989, having realised the cultural significance of King House and that the building with its impressive skyline is one of the most important structures in Connaught, Rosscommon County Council began an extensive restoration project under the supervision of Maura Shaffrey of Shaffrey Associates, Dublin. Skilled artisans and local craftsmen used traditional techniques and materials to restore its three stories and basement to its former glory. Thirty men were employed on site.
The aim of the project was to retain and restore the essential architectural and structural qualities of the house while protecting all original fabric. Insensitive alterations that had been carried out in past years were tackled to restore the original structure and architectural integrity of the building. The work involved the complete reinstatement of the roof, including the removal of concrete structures and roof coverings erected by the Military, reinstatement of the main double height saloon that had a recent intermediary floor added, reinstatement of structural arches where these had broken through to provide extras doors and windows, provision of new floors where necessary, provision of new doors and windows, the re-plastering of the building internally and externally. Many elements of the original work were retained and provided guidelines for replacement.
Today King House present the past in an exciting and innovative way with the use of modern interactive exhibitions portraying fascinating storylines and accounts of Kings, landlords, soldiers and craftsmen and additionally an educational programme. There are facilities and a 55-seater fully equipped auditorium and lecture theatre. The house is also home to the acclaimed Boyle Arts Festival and the award-winning Civic Collection of Contemporary Irish Art.
Further information can be found on www.kinghouse.ie
This article originally appeared in the Irish Antique Dealers’ Association Yearbook 2006-2007.
