Bellamont House
Bellamont Forest, Cootehill, County Cavan
Built in 1730, for the Hon. Thomas Coote (1655-1741), M.P., Recorder of Dublin and Judge of the Court of King's Bench, and his third wife, Mrs Anne (Lovett) Tighe. Constructed with red brick and dressed limestone, it is generally considered to be, “one of the finest examples of Palladian architecture in Ireland,” modelled on Palladio’s Villa Rotonda at Vicenza. It was designed by Coote's nephew, Sir Edward Lovett Pearce (1699-1733), the chief exponent of the Palladian style in Ireland and a first cousin of Sir John Vanbrugh, the architect of Blenheim Palace. In 1838, the Irish-Canadian architect, George Browne, used Bellamont as his inspiration for Rockwood in Kingston, Ontario....
Thomas' grandfather, Sir Charles Coote, established the family in Ireland in 1600 when he came to the colony as a Captain in Mountjoy's Regiment. Thomas was the third son of the 1st Lord of Coloony and a younger brother of the 1st Earl of Bellomont who served as Governor of Massachusetts and New York. Bellamont was one of four estates acquired by Sir Charles Coote and was comprised of over a thousand acres (now reduced to 90-acres) of spring fed lakes with wooded islands and ancient forests. The house took five years to build and is considered one of the most perfect Palladian villas ever built in Ireland.
Bellamont remained in the Coote family until 1874. Perhaps most notable among its occupants during that period was Charles Coote (1738-1800), 5th Lord Coote, who revived an old family title on becoming the 1st Earl of Bellomont in 1766. Described as a "mad man” and “disgustingly pompous,” he was an ardent Francophile and stunned the Irish House of Lords when he gave his maiden speech in French! Also, “an inveterate womanizer,” of his 16-children, 11 were by women other than his wife (the sister of the 2nd Duke of Leinster) so many were amused when he was shot in the groin in a duel!
By 1874, the Coote funds had all but run dry and depending on which account you prefer, Bellamont was either gambled away by John Coote or sold for £145,000 to Edward Smith, a wealthy coal merchant. The Smiths became the Dorman-Smiths and the last of their family to live here was Eric Dorman-Smith, a discharged British General who espoused the cause for Irish Independence, changed his named to O'Gowan, and allowed the IRA to use the estate as a firing range and safe house during the Border Campaign (1956-1962).
After O'Gowan's death in 1969, the estate fell into disrepair until it was rescued by an Australian descendant of the Coote family, interior designer John Coote, who is remembered for restoring the Iranian Embassy in London after the 1980 siege. He bought Bellamont for £500,000 in 1987 and restored it to its former glory. He died in 2012 and three years later (2015) it was purchased by an American, John Manuel Morehart, for €2 million, who undertook a five year renovation project slated to finish in 2020.
Bellamont remained in the Coote family until 1874. Perhaps most notable among its occupants during that period was Charles Coote (1738-1800), 5th Lord Coote, who revived an old family title on becoming the 1st Earl of Bellomont in 1766. Described as a "mad man” and “disgustingly pompous,” he was an ardent Francophile and stunned the Irish House of Lords when he gave his maiden speech in French! Also, “an inveterate womanizer,” of his 16-children, 11 were by women other than his wife (the sister of the 2nd Duke of Leinster) so many were amused when he was shot in the groin in a duel!
By 1874, the Coote funds had all but run dry and depending on which account you prefer, Bellamont was either gambled away by John Coote or sold for £145,000 to Edward Smith, a wealthy coal merchant. The Smiths became the Dorman-Smiths and the last of their family to live here was Eric Dorman-Smith, a discharged British General who espoused the cause for Irish Independence, changed his named to O'Gowan, and allowed the IRA to use the estate as a firing range and safe house during the Border Campaign (1956-1962).
After O'Gowan's death in 1969, the estate fell into disrepair until it was rescued by an Australian descendant of the Coote family, interior designer John Coote, who is remembered for restoring the Iranian Embassy in London after the 1980 siege. He bought Bellamont for £500,000 in 1987 and restored it to its former glory. He died in 2012 and three years later (2015) it was purchased by an American, John Manuel Morehart, for €2 million, who undertook a five year renovation project slated to finish in 2020.
Categories
Styles
Share
Connections
Be the first to connect to this house. Connect to record your link to this house. or just to show you love it! Connect to Bellamont House →