Earlier Houses: There has been a castle, a fortified house, a Jacobean manor, and a Georgian country house on, or near, the site of the current house.

House & Family History: Perched high above the River Blackwater, Dromana House has been the home of the Villiers-Stuart family for over 700 years. The first house on the site was a medieval castle built by the FitzGerald family (they later became the FitzGerald-Villiers and the Villiers-Stuarts). At the end of the 17th century the house was destroyed, after coming under a number of repeated attacks. Dromana House was rebuilt in the 17th century and then enlarged in the 18th and 19th centuries. By the 1960s the Villiers-Stuart family had fallen on hard times; they sold the house and most of the estate was seized and liquidated by the Irish government. In 1965 the stables and the majority of the house were demolished, leaving just the 17th century wing. In the early 1990s the Villiers-Stuarts bought back the house and a small bit of land, where they continue to live today.

Garden & Outbuildings: At its height in the 1820s, the Dromana Estate stood at 40,000 acres, making it one of the largest estates in Ireland. Dromana is most famous today for its unique gatehouse. Spanning the River Finisk, it is the only Hindu-Gothic style building in Ireland. Originally made in 1826 of wood and papier-mâché to celebrate the wedding of Henry Villiers-Stuart, it was rebuilt in stone circa 1830 and is today owned by the local county council. Most of the Dromana Estate was acquired by the Irish Land Commission in 1957.

John Bernard (J.B.) Burke, published under the title of A Visitation of the Seats and Arms of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland, among other titles: 2.S. Vol. I, p. 30, 1854.

House Listed: Unknown

Park Listed: Unknown

Current Seat / Home of: Barbara Grubb, a member of the Villiers-Stuart family, who have been here since 1215.

Past Seat / Home of: Henry Villiers-Stuart, 19th century.

Current Ownership Type: Individual / Family Trust

Primary Current Ownership Use: Private Home

House Open to Public: Yes

Phone: 35302-496-144

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://dromanahouse.com

Historic Houses Member: No