Architectural gem will soon be lost forever
Very few are aware of the architectural qualities of this house, or indeed the treasures that lie within.
The house has been described by Maurice Craig in his book Classic Irish Houses as “a remarkable geometric house of the late 18th-century, built by an unknown architect for Sir Henry Hayes … with paintings by Nathaniel Grogan”.
The house appears to be in a very poor condition and it must be asked how long more will it survive. It is a protected structure in the Cork County Development Plan, but this doesn’t appear to mean anything, other than it appears on a list in the planning office.
Cork County Council has previously refused permission for a hotel development on the site, and this appears to be the extent of its interest in the future of this architectural gem. Other interested groups have expressed dismay with the lack of action in securing its future, but all to no avail.
In terms of architectural protection, we have some of the best legislation in Europe, but we don’t bother using it. The most valuable aspect of Vernon Mount is the surrounding acreage, which is zoned for amenity. However, should this zoning be changed to residential then the land value would soar. It could be concluded that the loss of the house would not be lamented given the potential site value.
For anyone that is really interested in Vernon Mount, I urge them to use whatever influence they have to save this remarkable house before it is too late. Otherwise, the only record will be the illustrations in Classic Irish Houses.
In the event of the loss of this important house we would probably have the usual out-pouring of crocodile tears from officialdom, but at least another problem would have been removed.
To quote Peter O’Shaughnessy in his letter (Irish Examiner, April 8) what an appalling record!
Kevin Hurley
An Taisce Corcaigh
PO Box 26
Togher
Cork
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