Carton House: 1824

CARTON HOUSE, THE SEAT OF THE MOST NOBLE AUGUSTUS FREDERICK, DUKE OF LEINSTER, FROM ENGRAVINGS BY JOHN PRESTON NEALE

"CARTON HOUSE, the principal seat of His Grace the Duke of Leinster, is at the same time one of the noblest mansions in Ireland."

"The structure is uniform, and extends in length four hundred feet from wing to wing."

"The centre building, two hundred and forty feet in length, is appropriated to a complete suite of state rooms, consisting of a hall, in form of a parallelogram, forty-five feet six inches, by nineteen feet six inches: this apartment is generally used as a billiard-room."

"The Grand Staircase is seventeen feet by nineteen feet six inches."

"The suite of rooms upon the park front, which is given in the annexed view, consists of a dining-room of grand dimensions, fifty-two feet five inches in length, by twenty-four feet in breadth, and twenty-four feet high; an ante-room, eighteen feet four inches by seventeen feet two inches."

"A noble drawing-room, thirty-five feet six inches long, nineteen feet six inches wide, and twenty-seven feet high: At one end of this elegant room is an organ; the other end opens to the library, which is forty-six feet in length, and nineteen feet six inches wide; to which is attached a reading-room in dimension eighteen feet four inches by twenty-one feet six inches; beyond which is the Duke of Leinster's private room."

"A dressing-room and baths complete the suite."

"The wings are attached to the centre by an open colonnade of the Doric order."

"In one of the wings is comprised the stables, coach-houses, etc, etc; and the other contains the kitchen and offices, all upon a grand scale."

"CARTON HOUSE is situated eleven miles from Dublin, and about one mile from Maynooth, and had been successively a residence of the families of TALBOT and Ingoldsby, previously to its coming into the possession of the present noble family."

"THE ESTATE, with its appurtenances, was purchased by Robert, 19th Earl of Kildare, 27th January, 1739, of Thomas Ingoldsby, of Walridge, in Buckinghamshire."

"The Earl of Kildare greatly improved the edifice by additional buildings, and desired by his will that the whole might be completed according to the plan which he had approved of."

"The Earl died at this seat, 20th February, 1743, aged 69."

Carton House is said to have cost £26,000 to build in 1739, equivalent to almost £4.9 million in 2024.

The estate, near Maynooth, County Kildare, is now a luxury hotel and resort.

First published in June, 2022.