This 18th-century mansion wasn’t built from scratch; instead, it incorporated parts of an earlier tower house and what appears to be the ground floor of a medieval hall. Historical records suggest this might be the same stone house mentioned in the Civil Survey of 1654-6, which described a partially slated building on the site. The practice of building upon and around earlier structures was common among Irish landowners, who often preferred to adapt existing fortified buildings rather than demolish them entirely.

The mansion’s design reflected the Georgian taste for symmetry and elegance, whilst the rear courtyard featured finely constructed outbuildings that served the practical needs of a working estate. These service buildings, built with the same attention to detail as the main house, would have housed everything from carriages and horses to workshops and storage areas. As late as 1993, both the mansion and its outbuildings remained in relatively good condition, offering a complete picture of how such estates functioned.

Unfortunately, the story of Westown House took a sad turn in recent decades. Whilst the front of the mansion still stands, the rear portions and the historic outbuildings have been demolished, taking with them centuries of architectural heritage. The loss of these structures means we’ve lost not just buildings, but tangible connections to the daily lives of the people who lived and worked on this estate through multiple centuries of Irish history.