Kildare country houses

1210 – St. David’s Castle, Naas, Co. Kildare

Also known as King John’s Castle, and is the last surviving example of the many fortified houses in the town of Naas.

1722 – Castletown House, Celbridge, Co. Kildare

Architect: Alessandro Galilei & Edward Lovett Pearce

Castletown is the largest and grandest Palladian country house in Ireland. It was built for William Conolly (1662-1729),

1724 – Oakley Park, Celbridge, Co. Kildare

Architect: Thomas Burgh

Oakley Park, formerly Celbridge House, was built in 1724 by Arthur Price when he was vicar of Celbridge,

1730s – St Wolstan’s, Celbridge, Co. Kildare

The buildings of St. Wolstan’s priory were probably converted into a house for Sir John Alen before his death in 1561.

1731 – Furness House, Naas, Co. Kildare

Architect: Francis Bindon

The 3-bay centre block is of cut ashlar limestone, with pilasters and lions around the door.

1739 – Carton, Maynooth, Co. Kildare

Architect: Richard Cassels / Richard Morrison

In 1739, the 19th Earl of Kildare employed Richard Castle to build the existing house replacing an earlier buildng.

1753 – Newabbey House, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare

Small country house, rebuilt in the 1750s.

1780s – The Abbey, Celbridge, Co. Kildare

Celbridge Abbey was built by Bartholomew Van Homrigh, Lord Mayor of Dublin, in 1697. It was his daughter, Esther Van Homrigh who has been immortalised as ‘Vanessa’ by Jonathan Swift.

1790 – Bishops Court House, Naas, Co. Kildare

Architect: Sir Richard Morrison

An early work of Richard Morrison in a classical style reminiscent of the work of James Gandon.

1805 – Lyons, Hazlehatch, Co. Kildare

Architect: Richard Morrison

Lyons, near Hazlehatch, County Kildare, was originally the seat of the Aylmer family, though they sold it to the 1st Lord Cloncurry who had a new house built in 1797.