Duckett’s Grove – An Architectural Heritage

Duckett’s Grove was originally a three-storey over basement Georgian country house built circa 1745. Traces of this Georgian style can still be observed in the entrance block and front face. It replaced a smaller house on the same site and was re-designed and extended by British born Architect Thomas A. Cobden at the request of John (Dawson) Duckett (1) circa 1825. At this stage the Gothic style mantle was added, including the profound ornamentation, arches, turrets, crenellations and an octagonal viewing tower to the north.

Photograph of the west and north facades of Duckett’s Grove depicting the Gothic style mantle, ornamentation, arches, turrets, crenellations, and an octagonal viewing tower, containing gargoyles, statues and ornamentation, as designed by Thomas A. Cobden Architect circa 1825. This photograph is from the John Sweeney Collection.

Gothic Architecture and Design

Gothic style architecture represented giant leaps from previous, relative basic buildings. Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was particularly popular in Europe from the late 12^th to the 16^th century, surviving into the 17^th and 18^th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque architecture (06^th to 11^th century) which was succeeded by Renaissance architecture (14^th to 17^thcentury). Gothic is a particular style of masonry building characterised by cavernous spaces with the expanse of walls broken up by overlaid tracery. Feature of Gothic architecture include rib vaults, flying buttresses, crenellations, gargoyles and pointed (Gothic) arches, used as a solution to the problem of building very tall structures, while preserving as much natural light as possible. The pointed arch relieved some of the thrust, and, therefore, the stress on other structural elements. Its form distributed the force of heavier ceilings and thick walls and could support much more weight than previous simple designs. Gargoyles, while highly decorative, were often used as water spouts to remove water from the roof as well as to provide symbolic spiritual protection for the property and its inhabitants. The Gothic arch was also aesthetically pleasing and noted for its beauty which influenced many other features of Gothic design, such as the vaulted ceiling. Gothic design, infused with the original Georgian country house design, is clearly visible in the re-design of Duckett’s Grove by Thomas A. Cobden.

Photographs of crenellations, gargoyles, statues (now removed), and ornamental architecture on the octagonal viewing tower to the north, and on the south western corner of Duckett’s Grove which are unique architectural design features of Thomas A. Cobden who re-designed Duckett’s Grove at the request of John (Dawson) Duckett (1) circa 1825. These photographs are from the John Sweeney Collection.

Photographs of crenellations, gargoyles and ornamental architecture on the octagonal viewing tower to the north, front doorway to the west and the southern facade of Duckett’s Grove which are unique architectural design features of Thomas A. Cobden. Similar architectural designs and embossments can be found on other buildings designed by Thomas A. Cobden, such as the Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow. These photographs are from the John Sweeney Collection.

Thomas A. Cobden (1794-1842)

*Photograph of what was once the home of Thomas A. Cobden Architect, located on what was once Chapel Street, now named College Street, Carlow. This photograph is from the John Sweeney Collection.*

Thomas Alfred Cobden (1794-1842) was an Architect and builder, of London and Carlow and is said to be the son of Thomas Cobden, a builder in Chichester, England, who built Chichester Market House in 1807, with business partner William Brooks. Thomas Cobden senior was a widower when he married Mary née Camp. Their son Thomas Alfred Junior was baptised on 8th July 1794, at an independent chapel in Chichester. In 1821 he married Ann Fleming at St. James’s Westminster, England. They had two sons and two daughters.

Thomas A. Cobden designed his own house, where he lived for some time in Carlow on what was Chapel Lane, now named College Street. From 1832 he lived in London until his death in 1842 at the age of forty-eight. He was buried on the 3rd December 1842 in Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington, Middlesex, England. His will was proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury on 16th January 1843.

All of his Irish commissions and works were carried out in the counties of Carlow and Wexford. Examples of his County Carlow designs can be identified in buildings such as Russellstown Park House, the Cathedral of the Assumption, St. Patrick’s College, Oak Park House, Holy Cross Church Killeshin, Ballykealy House, Carlow, Bagenalstown Railway Station and Adelaide Memorial Church Myshall. His clients included John (Dawson) Duckett (1), William (Dawson) Duckett (1), Robert Clayton Browne, General Robert Browne Clayton, Thomas Elrington, the Bishop of Ferns, James Doyle, the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin (JKL). (Source of reference on Thomas A. Cobden is courtesy of Dictionary of Irish Architects www.dia.ie)

Photographs of the western and northern facades of Duckett’s Grove identifying many of the original architectural design features of Thomas A. Cobden Architect following its transformation from Georgian country house to Gothic mansion. Centre photograph by Robert French for the Lawrence Collection (now also forms part of the John Sweeney Collection). These photographs are from the John Sweeney Collection.

Duckett’s Grove is further extended – circa 1845

In circa 1845, Duckett’s Grove Gothic mansion was further extended. This extension was designed by John McDuff Derick Architect (1810-1859) from Ballymote, Co. Sligo who added the granite ashlar viewing tower on an octagonal plan to the south, turrets, entrance screens and stable complex to the rear.

Renaissance Architectural Design

The design by John MacDuff Derick comprises of Renaissance architectural design (14^th to 17^th century), while also incorporating and continuing the existing Gothic design (12^th to 16^th century). Renaissance architects placed emphasis on symmetry, proportion, geometry, and regularity, as demonstrated in classic Roman Architecture. It fused classical Roman technique with Renaissance aesthetics, with several foundational architectural concepts; facades, columns, pediment (a classical architecture consisting of triangular section or gable), and pilasters (a rectangular column that projects partially from the wall to which it is attached, giving the appearance of a support, but is only for decoration), arches, vaults, domes, windows and walls. Roman architecture was an important aspect of Renaissance architecture which became more decorative and ornamental with a wide spread use of statuary, domes, columns, pilasters and lintels, as well as niches, cupolas and semi-circular arches. Many of these features from the Renaissance period can be found in the extended design of Duckett’s Grove by John MacDuff Derick.

Design Periods

Romanesque period: 06^th to 11^th century

Gothic period: 12^th to 16^th century

Renaissance period: 14^th to 17^th century

Baroque period: 17^th to 18^th century

Photographs of the extension of Duckett’s Grove designed by John MacDuff Derick circa 1845 on the request of John (Dawson) Duckett (1). The design of John MacDuff Derick includes the addition of the granite ashlar viewing tower on an octagonal plan to the south, turrets, entrance screens and stable complex to the rear. The extension displays harmony and continuity of the design by Thomas A. Cobden including crenellations, gargoyles, statues (now removed), master bay window, crested granite, pediments, characterised pilaster and pediment Romanesque Renaissance windows and ornamentation These photographs are from the John Sweeney Collection.

One of the most elaborate features of the extension design of John MacDuff Derick, and what remains the most recognised feature of Duckett’s Grove, is the granite ashlar viewing tower on an octagonal plan, located on the south façade. The interior of the tower is impressive and still contains some of the original staircase. This viewing tower provides a three hundred and sixty degree view of the grounds of Duckett’s Grove, including the walled gardens and surrounding townland of the Demesne. It was from this viewing tower that Mr. Duckett sat on many an occasion, watching the men working in the fields, making hay, attending crops and maintaining the gardens and grounds.

These photographs show the second floor master bay window located on the south façade of Duckett’s Grove, designed by John MacDuff Derick and built circa 1845. A crest and two scrolls are central features to this design. The first scroll located directly under the apex and central to the crenellations on either side as if depicting a crown, contains a French inscription, “Je Veux Le Droit”, meaning, “I want the right”, referring to “the right” with regards to justice and the law. Beneath the crest, the second scroll contains a Latin inscription “Spectemur Agendo” meaning “Let us be judged by our Acts”. Located directly below the crest and two scrolls are two gargoyles, acting as guards of the crest and scrolls. Both inscriptions can also be found on the Duckett coat of arms, located over the central archway and on a crest over a small gateway to the left of the left archway of ‘The Towers’ gate lodge which was also designed by John MacDuff Derick. These photographs are from the John Sweeney Collection.

Photographs of the interior and the view from the granite ashlar viewing tower on an octagonal plan designed by John MacDuff Derick Architect circa 1845. The viewing tower is made of hand cut granite. These photographs are from the John Sweeney Collection.

Photographs of granite crenellations, pommy and hummetty crosses, a gargoyle, embossments and ornamentation architectural design by John MacDuff Derick located on the south façade and the entrance screen to the north, some of which were carried through from the architectural design of Thomas A. Cobden, creating connectivity and uniformity of the two design periods. These photographs are from the John Sweeney Collection.

Photographs of the new kitchen in Duckett’s Grove by John MacDuff Derick Architect circa 1840s, depicts the vaulted ceiling, a signature design of both Gothic and Renaissance architecture. It is very unusual to have windows over a fireplace, however, in this design, John MacDuff Architect delivers a spectacular design with function, while also aesthetically pleasing to the eye by diverting the chimney to the left of the fireplace, hidden within the walls and connecting to the chimneys on the back wall allowing him to place a south facing window over the fireplace. These photographs are from the John Sweeney Collection.

John MacDuff Derick and ‘The Towers’ Gate Lodge

During the same period, circa 1845, John MacDuff Derick Architect also designed ‘The Towers’, the main gate lodge of Duckett’s Grove. It was built by Messrs Kelly and Kinsella, contractors, taking two years to complete the work. This gate lodge is one of the most elaborate castellated gate lodges in Ireland and is of considerable architectural importance. It is one of the final domestic designs by John MacDuff Derick in Ireland. It comprises of two centre towers with crenellations, lancet and mullioned windows, and has two impressive and empowering archways with two distinct avenues. The towers are of unequal eight, one being fifty feet high and the other forty-three feet. The taller tower originally contained a characteristic continuous spiral stairway, leading to fireproof apartments above. Above the central archway, a level flat or terrace of solid masonry was also contained and composed of Carlow flags with drips after the manner of Rosslyn Castle, England. (drips: hooded mould or dripstone – an external moulded projection from a wall over an opening to relieve rainwater, introduced into architecture in the Romanesque and Gothic period).

The centre archway featured a portcullis over which is found a large coat of arms with a Latin inscription “Spectemur Agendo” meaning “Let us be judged by our Acts”. This centre archway was used as the entrance for the Ducketts and their Royal and Gentry visitors, while the archway to the left was used as the workers’ and deliveries entrance. To the left of the workers’ and deliveries entrance, a small arched gateway contains a small crest with a French inscription, “Je Veux Le Droit”, meaning “I want the right”, which refers to “the right” with regards to justice and the law. The Towers gate lodge remains in private ownership and is a protected structure located at Russellstown Cross, Palatine, Co. Carlow on the L1009.

Photographs of ‘The Towers’ gate lodge, designed by John MacDuff Derick Architect, built circa 1845. These photographs depict the centre archway featuring a portcullis. A large coat of arms with a Latin inscription “Spectemur Agendo” meaning “Let us be judged by our Acts” can be found over the central archway above. A small crest shown above is located to the left of the left archway (not in photograph) and contains a French inscription, “Je Veux Le Droit” meaning “I want the right”, which refers to “the right” with regards to justice and the law. These photographs are from the John Sweeney Collection.

‘The Towers’ and the passing of time

Photographs of ‘The Towers’ Gate Lodge:- (left) late 1800s/early 1900s (by Robert French for the Lawrence Photograph Collection, The National Library of Ireland, now also forming part of the John Sweeney Collection), (centre) late 1970’s/early 1980s, (right) 2018. These photographs are from the John Sweeney Collection.

John MacDuff Derick Architect (1810-1859)

John MacDuff Derick Architect was the son of James Derick of Ballymote, Co. Sligo, and was descended on his father’s side from an old Connaught family and on his mother’s from the Macduffs, Earls of Fife. He attended Trinity College, Dublin, was a pupil of Sir John Soane and travelled in Normandy, the south of France and Italy. His professional connection with Oxford began in the 1830s, when he designed the boatmen’s floating chapel on the Oxford Canal in the Grecian style. In 1836 he married Elizabeth Jane Rathbone at St. Giles in The Fields, Surrey, England and they had two sons. While his principal works in England appear to date largely from the 1840s, it was during the 1850s that Derick was active in Ireland, where he is known to have designed three churches and the castellated gate lodge (‘The Towers’) at Duckett’s Grove, Co. Carlow. In 1852 he re-married Elizabeth Joyce Fulcher at St. George Hanover Square, London, England and they had one son. In the same year he exhibited two designs at the National Exhibition in Cork. He was elected an associate of the Royal Hibernian Academy on 13th October 1854.

His obituary states that Derick retired early from practice on account of domestic afflictions and failing health but was forced to resume his profession after suffering unforeseen financial losses. In 1858 he emigrated to America, where he died in New York on 20th September, 1859. He is described as modest and cheerful, honourable and generous and is said to have been a friend of Agustus Welby Northmore Pugin and some of the leading artists and writers of his day.

(Source of reference on John MacDuff Derick is courtesy of Dictionary of Irish Architects www.dia.ie and Manchestervictorianarchives.org.uk)

Duckett’s Grove – An Architectural Heritage re-designed by Architects Thomas A. Cobden circa 1745 and John MacDuff circa 1845

While the Gothic design of Thomas A. Cobden and the Renaissance design of John MacDuff Derick Architects were more statements of wealth and grandure than displays of structural or engineering solutions, Duckett’s Grove has left the townsland of Rainestown and the County of Carlow with significant architectural heritage which must be sensitively nurtured, preserved and protected.

Although much of the nineteenth century statuary and grandeur is now lost and gradual decay continues to create a more medieval yet romantic effect, remanence of the designs of Thomas A. Cobden and John MacDuff Derick is clearly visible today.

However, with the passing of time, and without effort, nature continues to reclaim this magnificent architecture as its own. Duckett’s Grove continues to be one of the most beautiful and photographed structures in Ireland and remains majestically nestled in the rural landscape of Rainestown, Co. Carlow as a “place of natural beauty and a sanctuary of solace.”

This photograph taken in 2020 identifies the traces of an original Georgian country house, while outlining the remains of the Gothic and Renaissance architectural features of Duckett’s Grove as designed by Thomas A. Cobden Architect circa 1825 and John MacDuff Derick Architects circa 1845. This photograph is from the John Sweeney Collection.

Article by J. Doyle – Founder, Owner and Administrator of DuckettsGrove.ie