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History of Earlscliffe House
In
1995 and again in 2018, during the hottest summers in many years, the Eastern
Hillside next to Earlscliffe experienced devastating fires. These fires cleared
a significant portion of gorse and bracken, revealing the remnants of 'lazy
beds,' rows of potato cultivation that likely dated back over a century.
Interestingly, not too long ago, the land at Earlscliffe was used for cattle
grazing, providing sustenance for the local residents.
Earlscliffe house, constructed around 1844/5, predates the Great Famine (also known as the Great Hunger) and sits atop the hillside, offering breathtaking views of Doldrum Bay in the townland of Censure (Seinséar). When it was originally built, there were only a few other houses in the vicinity. However, the construction of the railway connecting Howth and Dublin in 1846 along with better roads leading to the harbour led to an increase in local housing density.
Presumably intended as a summer retreat for its inhabitants, Earlscliffe house primarily offered its residents unparalleled vistas of Dublin Bay. Additionally, it granted them access to bathing in the nearby seawater. Until the mid-twentieth century, much of the land surrounding the house was utilized for farming purposes.
Throughout its history, Earlscliffe has seen various owners, beginning with possibly Alderman Cornelius Egan, and later including notable figures such as Royal Navy Captain William Bunbury McClintock, Trinity's Provost John Pentland Mahaffy, the Very Rev. C.T. Ovenden, Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, and Margaret Gough, daughter-in-law of Lady Gregory. Other notable residents include Dr. Ella Webb, Sir John Lumsden, and the grandson of William Martin Murphy. The timeline extends to the era of Dr. David Robinson and his family, as well as the subsequent efforts of the Robinson and Foley families to preserve Earlscliffe as a world-renowned horticultural haven.
Within the following pages, you will find a concise history of both the house at Earlscliffe and its gardens, chronicling its construction, ownership, and transformation over time.
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* The Great Famine (Irish: an Gorta Mór) or the Great Hunger was a period of mass starvation, disease, and emigration in Ireland between 1845 and 1852. It is sometimes referred to, mostly outside Ireland, as the Irish Potato Famine, because about two-fifths of the population was solely reliant on this cheap crop for a number of historical reasons. During the famine, approximately 1 million people died and a million more emigrated from Ireland, causing the island's population to fall by between 20% and 25%. [Source Wikipedia]
** Earlscliffe house is in the townland of Censure (shown in orange below), but part of the gardens to the east are actually in the townland of Howth.
This page was last updated on 27-Jul-2023 .