Page 15 - 0FINAL Neo Gothic Church 1754 Report compressed

www. architect.crimmins.ie Conservation Appraisal of Walled Garden and Historic landscape of Kylemore Abbey 15 CA THAL CRIMMINS AR CHITECT

IMG_0567.JPG IMG_0566.JPG

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Jupp and Mc Erlan’s report notes.
THE TROPICAL HOUSE
`The tropical house or central
conservatory, about 61ft by 18ft planted
with New Zealand Freens, Palms,
IMG_0565.JPG
Camellias, Roses etc.’. [1902 Sales
Particulars]
The house constitutes the centre piece
of the group and is visually more
ornate and impressive than the others.
[See photographs]. It was three
quarters span, its _back wall being
relatively low. The house measures IMG_6689.JPG
internally 18.30m [60ft] long by 5.30m
[17ft]. Most of the interior is occupied
by a rectangular bed joined to the back
wall and measuring 15.60m [51ft] by
3.65m [12ft]. The bed stands 0.82m [2ft The Tropical House
8in] high, the sides being formed by
brick walls. It is densely overgrown, The cut stone paving is deteriorating due to frost and water expsoure. The original
P1100461.JPG part of it was partially cleared of
vegetation, this showed the floor to be bricks are becoming dislodged. The central bed has been repaired but this has
removed much of its authenticity. The rear wall has been rendered to its south face
composed the same yellow sandstone with the brick exposed on its north face.
flags as in the corner conservatories.
IMG_6690.JPG IMG_6691.JPG Along the south wall these are edged
by a line of red tiles. A passage way
runs between the 2 entrances on the
south, east and west sides of the bed.
There is a brick built water tank at the
north west corner, this is a later
addition probably post 1885 [see south
west conservatory]. It would seem to be
for the collection of rainwater. The back
wall is rendered internally but
externally it is unrendered. It is built in
a rat trap bond i.e. bricks laid on edge.
This was a Victorian invention which
created a cavity wall and would have
helped in the heat retention. The
tropical house was described in 1905 as
P1100464.JPG P1100521.JPG follows:
‘In -a lofty conservatory were fine
specimens of Sabal unbraculifera,
Dicksonia antarctica, Strelitzia Reginae,
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Camellias, etc. The rafters being
furnished with climbing roses,
Plumbago capensis, Pleroma
macranthum, Bougainvillea speciosa,
etc. In this house we also noticed a
batch of Strepocarpus of fine strain.
[The Garden Chronicle, 1905 28.1.1905].