A Future for Irish Historic Houses - Irish Heritage Trust

- There are twenty-two acres of ornamental gardens attached to the castle
containing over 5,000 different species of plants principally from the
southern hemisphere.
The sale of Malahide and the subsequent dispersal of one of the most important
collections of contents in Ireland was one of the most deplorable consequences of the
tax legislation of the pre-1980s era.
Newbridge House is located near Donabate. It was built in the mid-eighteenth century
for Charles Cobbe, later archbishop of Dublin. Traditionally it was believed to have
been designed by Richard Castle, but recent evidence now suggests that the design
may have been by James Gibbs.
As a result of an agreement reached with the council, the Cobbe family agreed to
leave most of the original contents in the house in return for continued right of
residence in part of the house. The family also retains the right to use the principal
room when the house is not opened to the public.
This arrangement has meant that the house continues to offer a unique insight to its
historical and cultural development:
- The most splendid room in the house is the red drawing room with its
rococo plaster ceiling attributed to Richard Williams.
- The grounds at Newbridge provide an excellent example of eighteenthcentury
landscape. It is probable that the landscape was designed by
Charles Frizzell, one of the famous eighteenth-century Wexford firm of
land surveyors.
While the work of Dublin (now Fingal County Council in preserving and restoring
these houses is highly commendable, there are a number of concerns:
- Parts of the original landscape at Malahide have been compromised
(though not irreversibly) to some extent by the creation of football pitches,
tennis courts, a par 3 golf course and mini golf courses, as well as an
extensive children’s playground. Similarly, at Newbridge, a children’s
park and playground was opened in 1999.
- Standards of maintenance continue to be maintained despite shrinking
budgets.
- Round-the -clock security costs are an ongoing problem though probably
no more so than with similar private properties.
- Perhaps the greatest worry is that local authority budgets may not stretch
in the future to cover the high maintenance costs of running these houses.
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