Documenting our Heritage

Raheens House,

Mayo.

Page 3

Floor beams - neatly sawn off to remove the timber.

You can’t quite see it here in this small photo but the wires for the bell pull mechanism hang down - the bells were activated from the rooms above to summon servants.

The stable block is a short distance from the house.

This is one impressive stable block! some of the stone work is outstanding.

The design is a little bizzare, the windows look to be more fitting to a prison!

The date is inscribed over the stable block archway 1784, the initials DB stand for Dodwell Browne. Raheens House was however rebuilt around 1847 by Dodwell’s son Henry Browne.

This arch leading from the rivers edge into the stable yard could easily come from some South American or Egyptian ancient site. The stone work is fabulous!

As a side note: it appears the river banks behind me here appear to have been adjusted / managed which would of been popular in the time of the estate - the river would of been managed to avail of fishing etc.

In there time many estates were designed to be self sufficient.

I find the obelisk - built by Dodwell Browne in memory of his wife Maria.

One of the inscriptions on the obelisk.

I pack up my gear and head off back across the fields leaving Raheens House just as I found it. I’m hugely encouraged to see the house being restored - my Abandoned Ireland project can get a bit depressing at times!

The wealth of architecture left to rot in the fields is sometimes just staggering but here

it looks like Raheens House is coming back to life.

(In coming months hopefully I’ll be documenting some superbly restored houses - check back soon!)