House & Family History: The word Gloster is a derivation of Glasderrymore, which roughly means “big green wood” in Gaelic. Gloster House, as seen today, is the result of the rebuilding carried out by Trevor Lloyd in the early 18th century. Edward Lovett Pearce is frequently mentioned as the architect for this work, though some scholars believe that the final design is too provincial to be by the architect and suggest that Lloyd designed the house himself. As Pearce was a first cousin of Lloyd, it's also feasible that the two men collaborated on the design. The garden facade is the most impressive part of the house; it features an unusually long 13-bay stone facade with a three-bay breakfront and a door surround with Ionic pilasters and a Baroque entablature. The Rev. John Wesley, one of the founders of Methodism, famously preached at Gloster on June 13, 1749. In the early 20th century Dame Nellie Melba, after whom Peach Melba was named, sang from the upstairs gallery in the house. In 1958 the last member of the family to live at Gloster, Major E.T.T. Lloyd, sold Gloster House to a Catholic order of nuns, who converted the house into a ladies’ convalescent home and erected new buildings in the grounds to accommodate a girls’ boarding school. The nuns sold Gloster in 1990; in 2001 the current owners purchased the house and turned it into an event and wedding venue.
Collections: The contents were sold in 1958, when the Lloyd family sold the house.
Comments: "Gloster’s entrance hall is something of a coup de theatre, clearly intended to make an impact on anyone stepping into the space." -Irish architectural historian Robert O’Byrne
Garden & Outbuildings: In the park is a fine early 18th century arch flanked by obelisks designed by Edward Lovett Pearce.
Architect: Edward Lovett Pearce
Date: Circa 1720
Title: Guide to Irish Country Houses, A
Author: Bence-Jones, Mark
Year Published: 1988
Reference: pg. 141
Publisher: London: Constable and Company
ISBN: 0094699909
Book Type: Hardback
House Listed: Unknown
Park Listed: Unknown
Past Seat / Home of: Medhop family, 17th century. Trevor Lloyd, 18th century; Hardress Lloyd, 19th century; Brigadier-General John Hardress Lloyd, until 1952; Major E.T.T. Lloyd, 1952-58.
Current Ownership Type: Individual / Family Trust
Primary Current Ownership Use: Wedding & Event Venue
House Open to Public: By Appointment
Phone: 050-547-948
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.glosterhouse.ie
Historic Houses Member: No