Tower clocks up €38k facelift
THE Office of Public Works has spent €38,000 restoring a Victorian clock tower at Farmleigh House.
Figures obtained by the Irish Daily Mail reveal it has cost almost €4million to run the estate in the past two years.
The 78-acre property on Dublin’s Phoenix Park was bought by the State for €29.2million from the Guinness family in 1999 and refurbished at an additional cost of €23million.
It is the State’s official guesthouse for heads of state and dignitaries.
However, the clock tower alone, designed by Sir Horace Grubb, took almost €40,000 to restore to its former grandeur.
A spokesman for the OPW told the Mail: ‘The clock is a Victorian tower clock designed by Sir Horace Grubb for the then Earl of Iveagh in 1880.
‘It is the only clock he ever made, he is more usually known for his telescopes.
‘It is housed in a 200ft tower towards the east of the estate and visible across a large swathe of West Dublin.
‘There was some ancillary work done on the tower and on the clock faces and on the hands.
‘The clock itself is unique in design and the works were highly specialised.’
In 2017, €2,289,955.03 was spent on the former home of the Guinness family. More than €155,000 was paid out for gas and electricity while over €113,000 was spent on gas and electricity this year. In total more than €1,575,382.83 has been spent maintaining the residence.
It was reported last year that almost €35,000 had been spent on pest-control services at Farmleigh House to combat the presence of rats, wasps, ants and moths in the since 2012.
The house is situated in the north-west corner of the Phoenix Park and is adjacent to the Chapelizod and Castleknock areas of Dublin.
The rolling parkland and lakes were secured by then-taoiseach Bertie Ahern which saw the mansion on the edge of the Phoenix Park become a residence for visiting heads of State and a venue for international meetings, important State functions and cultural events.
Farmleigh had been home to many great social events since it was built in 1881 for Edward Guinness, First Earl of Iveagh of the great brewery dynasty.
It also boasts a working farm and theatre, was tenth in Ireland’s league of top free to enter attractions, with 359,432 visitors in 2017.
It also houses important artworks, as well as the Benjamin Iveagh collection of rare books, bindings and manuscripts.
The extensive pleasure grounds feature walled and sunken gardens, and scenic lakeside walks.