Pat Purcell Papers. undated newspaper cutting. Lisnevagh 1847 - 1849 ( continued ) The south side, comprising a magnificent suite of apartments, viz. - the drawing-room, library, dining-room, ante-chambers, etc., commands a splendid view of the surrounding country, with Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs in the foreground of the picture - while from the same wing on the east the beautiful scenery of the Wicklow Mountains attracts attention. >From the upper rooms a vast and beautifully cultivated tract of the county Carlow is visible, presenting every variety of scenery, enhancing in the eye of even the artist the value and beauty of the site chosen for the erection of a family mansion of such extent. In a future publication we shall enter more into details, but for the present we shall content ourselves with a brief description of some of the adjuncts to the mansion of Captain Bunbury. THE FARM YARD AND MACHINERY. The farm yard is situate about a quarter of a mile from the mansion, in a valley, and on what, on the fourth of May last, was apparently an irreclaimable bog. This mass of buildings all enclosed, but covering an immense space of ground, presents the appearance of a large manufacturing village, with its chimney shaft 60 feet high. The farm-yard comprises buildings of every description for agricultural purposes, under the superintendence of a very intelligent and scientific steward, Mr Malone, a native of the county Louth, for whom a handsome residence is built on the spot. Attached to the building is a steam engine of great power, by which flour and oatmeal are manufactured for the use of the mansion, and by which steaming, winnowing, threshing, etc. are performed Independently of the several purposes to which the steam mill is applied, it is used for forcing water from this point through an elevated plane, to a tank on a rising ground above the mansion, which contains 700,000 gallons of water. >From this point, invisible from the house, the water is supplied to every apartment, and if required, there are FOUR escapes, or cocks in the event of accidents by fire, by which the water may be raised 20 feet above the roof of the mansion. We are thus circumstantial in details, with the view of showing what capital can effect since the 31st of January, 1847 ; but we may here go further by stating that the steam mill, its towering shaft and the immense mass of buildings surrounding them, all erected on what was a bog on the 4th of May, in the present year ; and the GRANITE with which the buildings were erected were taken from the fields now covered with a rich and luxuriant crops of Swedish turnips for stall feeding in the buildings erected on the "bog" which "bog" we might however add, is now thorough drained, and reduced to its present state by the powerful agency of capital, and skill in its application. We cannot now enter into further details, but in a future number we hope to enter more fully into the subject, with a view of exhibiting substantial proofs that by the combined agency of A RESIDENT GENTRY, and the industry of the people, the county of Carlow may fairly look forward to future progress and prosperity.

Sometimes you assume that you've unearthed all there is to know about your family, or family home, and then something like this comes along. Much of what is contained in this two-part newspaper cutting was news to me and utterly fascinating. It is incredible, yet utterly plausible, to imagine that Lisnavagh was effectively a large bog before the industries of drainage and steam mills were introduced. And I can certainly sing the praises of those Victorian heroes who laid the drains because while the rain-sodden 7th and 8th June 2012 caused one of the wettest deluges in the history of modern Irish June's - and you should have seen the lawns and paddocks by Friday afternoon - the water had largely drained away by the morning of the 9th June enabling us to host a very successful (and sunny) two-day History Festival. This seems like an appropriate time to add that last year two members of the Latter Day Saints came to Lisnavagh to digitise our archives which run back to the early 18th century. The results amounted to an astonishing 29,000 pages. I have not had a chance to look at these yet but it is my sincere hope that I will be able to upload those pages relating to tenants, builders, labourers, household staff etc. online ... and that somebody else, perhaps from this mailing list, will then find time to convert these digital images into readable transcripts. A massive thanks to Mick Purcell and his team of indefatigable legends who transcribe documents such as this one, and so continue to enrich all our lives. Cheerio for now, Turtle Turtle Bunbury

 www.turtlebunbury.com


 
 Old Fort, Tobinstown, Tullow, Co. Carlow, Ireland

 Mob: + 353 - (0) 87 - 6453 486 Skype: turtle1847 www.facebook.com/turtle.bunbury On 14 Jun 2012, at 08:43, michael purcell wrote: > Pat Purcell Papers. > undated newspaper cutting. > Lisnevagh 1847 - 1849 ( continued ) > The south side, comprising a magnificent suite of apartments, viz. > - the drawing-room, library, dining-room, ante-chambers, etc., commands a > splendid view of the surrounding country, with Mount Leinster and the > Blackstairs in the foreground of the picture - while from the same wing on > the east the beautiful scenery of the Wicklow Mountains attracts attention. >> From the upper rooms a vast and beautifully cultivated tract of the county > Carlow is visible, presenting every variety of scenery, enhancing in the > eye of even the artist the value and beauty of the site chosen for the > erection of a family mansion of such extent. > In a future publication we shall enter more into details, but for the > present we shall content ourselves with a brief description of some of the > adjuncts to the mansion of Captain Bunbury. > THE FARM YARD AND MACHINERY. > The farm yard is situate about a quarter of a mile from the mansion, in a > valley, and on what, on the fourth of May last, was apparently an > irreclaimable bog. > This mass of buildings all enclosed, but covering an immense space of > ground, presents the appearance of a large manufacturing village, with its > chimney shaft 60 feet high. > The farm-yard comprises buildings of every description for agricultural > purposes, under the superintendence of a very intelligent and scientific > steward, Mr Malone, a native of the county Louth, for whom a handsome > residence is built on the spot. > Attached to the building is a steam engine of great power, by which flour > and oatmeal are manufactured for the use of the mansion, and by which > steaming, winnowing, threshing, etc. are performed Independently of the > several purposes to which the steam mill is applied, it is used for forcing > water from this point through an elevated plane, to a tank on a rising > ground above the mansion, which contains 700,000 gallons of water. >> From this point, invisible from the house, the water is supplied to every > apartment, and if required, there are FOUR escapes, or cocks in the event > of accidents by fire, by which the water may be raised 20 feet above the > roof of the mansion. > We are thus circumstantial in details, with the view of showing what > capital can effect since the 31st of January, 1847 ; but we may here go > further by stating that the steam mill, its towering shaft and the immense > mass of buildings surrounding them, all erected on what was a bog on the > 4th of May, in the present year ; and the GRANITE with which the buildings > were erected were taken from the fields now covered with a rich and > luxuriant crops of Swedish turnips for stall feeding in the buildings > erected on the "bog" which "bog" we might however add, is now thorough > drained, and reduced to its present state by the powerful agency of > capital, and skill in its application. > We cannot now enter into further details, but in a future number we hope to > enter more fully into the subject, with a view of exhibiting substantial > proofs that by the combined agency of A RESIDENT GENTRY, and the industry > of the people, the county of Carlow may fairly look forward to future > progress and prosperity. > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message