Sally Park
Sally Park. At the opposite side of the road is Sally Park, purchased in 1796 by my grandfather. The house is very old. Apparently about half ...
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Sally Park. At the opposite side of the road is Sally Park, purchased in 1796 by my grandfather. The house is very old. Apparently about half ...
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Sally Park.
At the opposite side of the road is Sally Park, purchased in 1796 by my grandfather. The house is very old. Apparently about half of it was first built and occupied, as the walls of this part are thicker and of a different style of building. The other half was subsequently added, thus making it square. It had belonged to the Earl of Clanwilliam before my grandfather took it. The earls of those days must have been content with smaller houses than at present. According to Archer’s Statistical *Survey of Dublin, *my grandfather planted 7,000 trees of various kinds. The place is very well wooded, many of the trees being very large. There are trout-ponds, gardens, conservatories, and everything to make a place comfortable, many thousands of pounds having from time to time been laid out here.
The next place is Delaford, originally Clandarigg, a carman’s inn on the roadside. The road then ran by the hall-door, out by the present avenue, and across the river to the paper-mills. Mr. Birmingham, who lived here about 1800, effected the change which has been mentioned. He built, also, two fine rooms and a hall in front of the inn. He made large fish-ponds, planted, and otherwise greatly improved the place, the name of which he altered to Springfield. He also procured the building of Templeogue Bridge. A tablet on the bridge once recorded this fact. The illiterate youths of the village have so defaced this, that not a word can now be deciphered.
In 1820, B. T. Ottley, then a Commissioner of Public Works, took the place, and called it Delaford. He built another addition at the rear of the old inn, which gives the house rather a curious appearance. He lived there several years, and his representatives have still an interest in the place. Since then many tenants have had it, and it is now much changed.
At the opposite side of the River Dodder, are the paper-miIls before referred to. These are very old. In 1719, an Act of Parliament relating to the city water-course mentions them as “Ashworth’s New Paper Mills;” so they were probably established early in the last century.
In 1733, Thomas Slater presented a petition to the Irish House of Commons, and received a grant of £500 for the purpose of paper-making here.
About 1840, Mr. M’Donnell owned these mills, and expended a large sum in perfecting paper-making machinery. He had a large steam-engine to supplement the water-power; built an engine-house, and a lofty chimney. The speculation did not pay, and the mills have been gradually failing down to the present. [These mills have long ceased to work, and are rapidly becoming ruinous.]
Sir Charles Domvile, who is landlord of half the country round, some years ago, at great expense, moved a number of large evergreens from this place, and from Templeogue, to Santry Court; but I believe most of them died. He moved also a beautiful little temple that stood on a high mound in the latter place. it is circular, with cut-stone pillars all round, and a dome-shaped roof of granite. I believe it cost him nearly £300 to move and re-erect it! These and such-like amusements cleared out his noble fortune. In 1875 he became a bankrupt. At an auction, held at Santry Court, all the household goods, and the extraordinary collection of articles of virtu, engravings, and pictures-among which was a very curious one of the principal members of the Hell-fire Club-were sold, and scattered for ever. The picture referred to was bought, I believe, by Mr. Wardell, of Thomas Street. [This picture is now in the National Gallery of Ireland. The uniform of the Hell-fire Club was red, with white stockings.]