Terence Reeves-Smyth explores the eccentric history of this charming country house as it celebrates sixty years of public access
No one could imagine from their first glimpse of Ardress House, near Loughgall, that it had such a complicated, indeed eccentric, history. Its pretty front entrance, which overlooks a small idyllic parkland, has every appearance of a harmoniously composed mid-Georgian gentleman’s seat, with its unusually broad, smooth-rendered, two-storey façade; modest Tuscan portico; and roof parapet studded with urns (Fig 1). But behind the symmetrical rhythm of its pleasing fenestration lies architectural pandemonium – a bizarre hotchpotch of rooms that reflect the piecemeal evolution of the house.
The collection of 19th century stereo negatives of the Gap Girls of Dunloe in Kerry comprise a rare and unique body of work, writes Julian Campbell
