The 19th-century Todor Gothic gatehouse folly on the Ballysaggartmore estate near Lismore, County Waterford, Ireland
When Arthur Kiely returned to County Waterford from the Napoleonic Wars in 1808 following the death of his father, he found his older brother building a castle at Strancally on the Blackwater River. Arthur changed his name to Kiely-Ussher and began work on his inheritance at Ballysaggartmore with the construction of the Tudor-Gothic gatehouse and bridge on the carriage drive to the planned mansion. But the Great Famine intervened, tenants were unable to pay their rent, Kiely-Ussher's income fell, families were evicted and their homes demolished leaving them homeless. His cruel behaviour so inflamed opinion in the district that an attempt was made to shoot him as he entered the estate through the gates of his smart new lodge. His would-be assassin fled and a reward of £100 was offered; seven men were tried, found guilty and deported to Tasmania. The tyrant's fortunes never recovered, the house was sold in 1861, Kiely-Ussher died shortly afterwards, and the towers and Kiely-Ussher’s dreams were left to nature. This image of the exotic gatehouse appears in "Irish Follies and Whimsical Architecture" by George Munday and published by O'Brien Press in Dublin.
Size: 4961px × 3480px
Location: Ballysaggartmore estate near Lismore, County Waterford, Ireland
Photo credit: © George Munday / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: .waterford, 19th, abandoned, ancient, arch, architectural, architecture, archway, arthur, assassination, attempted, ballysaggartmore, carriage, century, change, countryside, county, culture, decorative, deise, demolished, drive, east, eire, evicted, eviction, evictions, exotic, falling, families, familys, famine, follies, folly, gatehouse, gateway, george, gothic, great, heritage, history, homes, iconic, imposing, income, ireland, irelands, irish, kielly-ussher, landlord, landscape, lismore, monuments, mood, munday, munster, ornate, poverty, rent, rural, south, stricken, sunny, towers, tudor, turrets, tyrannical, waterford, whimsical
