The Author – Bart Busschots
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Jul
31
The Wonderful Barn
Filed Under Photography on July 31, 2007 at 12:34 am
Continuing my efforts to photograph historic buildings in the Maynooth area I set out to visit the Wonderful Barn in Leixlip (it’s about 6km from Maynooth). When I set off the weather was good but by the time I arrived it had started to rain a little so the pictures are not what they could be. However, they are still better than nothing.
You can have a look at my pictures of the Wonderful Barn in my gallery. The rest of this article contains more information about this very special building and some related links.
[tags]Photography, Ireland, Leixlip, Wonderful Barn, Granary, Dovecote, Famine Relief, Folly[/tags]
The Wonderful Barn is a very special building. I’ve seen some sources which claim that it’s uniqe in the world but others are a little more realistic and say it is one of only two like it in Ireland. It’s a very multy purpose building. Although it had a practical use as a grain store it was also designed to be a folly building to enhance the nearby Castletown Estate. The reason the building was built was to provide work for the local poor during a time of famine in 1743.
The complex consists of more than just the barn itself, it also consiste of two very striking conical dovecotes and a 17th century house. The two dovecotes seem to have caused a bit of confusion, many references to the site claim that there is confusion over whether the wonderful barn was a granary or a dovecote. The main barn is a ganary but there are two dovecotes next to it in the same conical style. I guess some people don’t realise there are three buildings.
As you can see in the images the complex is in a very poor state. There is some good news about that and some bad. Only last week planning permission was approved for a large development around the Barn complex. This will certainly take away from the setting, however, as part of the conditions for planning the barn complex and some adjoining land is being handed over to the local authority. In conjunction with the Irish Landmark Trust the local authority plan to renovate the complex and open it to the public. So, I guess there is some hope in sight for this special site which has made it on to the World Monument Watch’s list of the 100 most endangered sites in the world.
There is an identical building to this on Whitehall Road in Churchtown in Dublin. It was know as ‘the Bottle Tower’. I used to cycle past it every day as it was near my school.
There was a smaller version beside it, about half the height.
I did a quick search and found the following on the dlrcoco.ie site –
BOTTLE TOWER, CHURCHTOWN – A folly erected during the bad winter of 1741/42 as relief work for the poor. The Tower and its smaller colleague are similar in design to the “Wonderful Barn” near Leixlip, built in 1743 by the Connolly’s of Castletown.
So now you know where the other one is!
That’s wonderful, thanks Gandad!
I wonder if they moaned about Global Warming in the winter of 1741/42?
Great Pictures, its quite an interesting structure, hopefully it will be persevered right, I have to see it sometime.
I was out there at the weekend. I have lived in the area for 2 years and saw it every time I drove down the M4. The building is monitored by a security guard in a prefab, who told me I couldn’t go in, but the walls are down at the back and it is possible to enter some of the smaleer graintowers and the courtyard to the rear of Barnhall House. The buildings are in a terrible state of disrepair and it is sad to see such heritage falling into wilfull ruin. I hope something is done to protect them soon.
Hi Andrew, thanks for your comment. I guess the fact that there’s a security guard there now is probably a good sign. Though the terrible state of the buildings is still a real tragedy. Even if they do get restored, they should never have been let get this bad.
Bart.
nice .. respect man 😀
Can I just say I lived in the house for 2 yrs and it is the most beautiful and peaceful place to be. I am saddened about how it has gone into such disrepair as it is a place so full of history and we should look after it and treasure it.
Hi I live in Celbridge and have seen this building in the distance…. can you tell me how to get to it up close as I can’t figure out the way! Thanks!
Hi Ashley,
I’m not sure what the story is with access to the Wonderful Barn at the moment. I know there is a lot of work going on in that area, and that a park and were supposed to be built in the area. Not sure how that’s all progressing.
What I do know is that when I went the entrance was along the Celbridge road form Leixlip, just before the bridge over the motorway (i.e. on the Leixlip side) there is a small gateway and path through the trees, you follow this path and it will take you to the Wonderful Barn. But like I say, I’m not sure this is still open. I did a Google Map to show what I’m talking about more clearly: http://maps.google.com/?mid=1244294222
Hope that helps, and if you do go, please post back to let me know what the current state of play is there.
Cheers,
Bart.