Humewood Castle

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Etching of Humewood Castle in A History of the Gothic Revival by Charles Eastlake

Humewood Castle is a country house near the village of Kiltegan in County Wicklow, Ireland . The neo-Gothic fantasy building was built for the Hume family in 1867–1870 . It has 3035 m² of living space and is surrounded by a 170 hectare park. Today it belongs to the US billionaire John Malone .

history

The Hume family had settled in Humewood in the 15th century and had a castle built there. The estate was inherited over many generations until it was owned by Fitzwilliam Hume (1805-1892), a wealthy MP for County Wicklow from 1852-1880. He hired the architect William White to design a retreat for the summer and hunting season. White, in turn, hired Albert Kimberley to build the country house. William White went beyond his mandate and the result was the neo-Gothic fantasy castle built in 1867–1870, with which he by far exceeded his budget and ruined himself. Fitzwilliam Hume also took the family name Dick in 1864 on the basis of a legacy . His only son, William Hume , inherited the property and was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Wicklow. In 1896 he was High Sheriff of Wicklow .

After William Hume's death, the property fell to his daughter Catherine Marie-Madeleine ( Mimi ), who married Jacques Weygand , the son of the French general Maxime Weygand . The couple had no children. Shortly before her death in 1992, Mimi Weygand donated most of the farms, including some in Kiltegan, to her tenants. The country house and 180 acre property were later auctioned off to German businesswoman Renata Coleman for £ 1 million .

Renata Coleman had the house converted into a fancy private hotel and offered duck hunting and polo on the property. In 2004 she offered the property for sale for € 16 million. Coleman sold it to Lalco , the property development company of John Lally from Galway , who continued to expand the estate. However, the economic situation deteriorated and in 2012 LALCO sold the property at a loss for € 8 million to the US billionaire John Malone.

description

The three-story granite main building is flanked by a tall round tower with tourelles at one end and a more angular tower at the other end. On the ground floor there is a salon, the dining room and an auditorium , which can be used as a further salon or ballroom, on the basement there is a billiard room, a smoking room and a wine cellar. There are 12 bedrooms on the upper floors.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Liberty's John Malone buys another Dublin hotel - and did I mention the castle? , Bizjournals.com. March 21, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2019. 
  2. ↑ Sara Clemence: Historic Humewood . Forbes. December 14, 2004. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  3. ^ Paul Wheatley: 19th-century Humewood Castle south of Dublin, for sale . Centurion Magazine. July 28, 2012. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  4. ↑ Michael Parsons: A humble € 8m for Humewood Castle . Irish Times. April 12, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  5. ↑ Finbarr Flynn: John Malone Buys Irish 'Green Banana' as Castle Prices Fall . In: Bloomberg . May 21, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2019.

Web links

Coordinates: 52 ° 54 ′ 57.3 "  N , 6 ° 36 ′ 32.9"  W.