A Future for Irish Historic Houses - Irish Heritage Trust

Beaulieu, Drogheda, Co. Louth
Beaulieu in County Louth is located just a few miles from the town of Drogheda. It is
presently owned by Mrs Sidney Waddington and is possibly one of the most
important privately owned houses in the survey:
- Beaulieu was built in the 1660s by Sir William Tichborne. This is the ninth
generation of the original family to have lived in this house over a period
of almost 350 years.
- Its historical importance lies in the fact that it was one of the first country
houses to be built in Ireland without fortification. Almost all known
examples of houses of this type and period have now vanished. Beaulieu is
therefore unique in that it provides an example of a house that was
constructed at a major turning point in the development of Irish
architectural design. Today it remains the finest and best-preserved
country house of its period in Ireland.
- Architecturally, the house has remained largely unaltered since the
seventeenth century. Again, this adds to its uniqueness as most houses
evolved over time and the architectural structure that survives today is
often radically different to the original structure.
- The interior of the house is equally as important. There is a very
impressive two-storey entrance hall that contains an equally impressive
chimneypiece and over-mantle that is adorned with a painting of the town
of Drogheda, in its own right a valuable primary source for the historian as
it depicts the town as it was in the seventeenth century. It also contains an
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