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PELLIPAR |
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PELLIPAR |
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TOPICS DUNGIVEN
TOWN
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> Pellipar House has been described in a good manner many times for its dramatic and beautiful show to the eye, an out-of-place building because it is situated in such a quiet, simple town. There are many stories to tell about this house, not all good, mind; but nevertheless interesting. Pellipar House and grounds (not the full estate) is presently owned by Roland Henry of Derrychrier. He, presumable has inherited it from his father who is referred to in the Benbradagh article of Pellipar Estate as '...a new owner, John Thomas Henry, took possession. He found there was work to be done.' At the minute a son of R Henry's runs the Pellipar Tree Service which operates in the entry of the house. Back a few years, the house was under military occupation during the war 1939-45. This is when a local woman recalls being in the house as a girl, 'I remember being in a round circular room (presumably the tower behind the front building) watching a film while the army stayed in the town. I was given tickets by an army man one morning when he came for a snack with the rest to our house.' Benbradagh Mag. also refers to the ballroom (a ballroom in this house to, full of surprises then!) responding to the sound of music again. Back again. The Pellipar House was also done up with beautiful interior of the French style. There were beautiful paintings, and there is an emphasis put upon the fact that there were also very nice French curtains.
THE SEVEN GATE HOUSES (LODGES) "3 Bay, single story lodges of C1800, of dressed sandstone, with pediments over the central bay and windows in relieving arches" The house was surrounded by seven watchful gate houses which were inhabited by locals. This was in Pellipar's heyday. They proved to be good houses for the people of that time (R. J. L. Period). In fact they might have been better than your average Dungiven house. People living in them would have had jobs provided on the farmland of the house as well as other jobs like turf- drawing and gardening. Also, when people came by horse and cart to Pellipar the gate was to be opened by the tenants of the lodges and closed immediately after.
PELLIPAR'S HEYDAY "Plenty of girls working there in Pellipar's heyday" If one researches the complete history of Pellipar House (MHoP3) one would notice that it never seemed to have been 'loved'. All of the sources and information from historical fact books etc. suggest that it was never properly used for its purpose- a Gentleman's Home complete with 72 fireplaces, at least 3 buildings, a massive farm and plantation of trees, 3 storey (maybe more), a servants wing- 2 storey, a stair tower with a cone shaped roof. When the Senior Ogilby had it in possession, well...yes. But after this it was left to his son and then RJL. He seemed to want to wipe his hands of it but there's also the big question of his grandiose remodeling in 1907- at a time he had clearly wanted to get out and quick. But for a while the House was running in perfect order. RJL had workers from all over the British Isles and this included gardeners, a housekeeper, cooks, a landsteward, inferior servants, caretakers, farmers, a butler, a groom, a trained nurse, and a coachman. At this time the castle was well known as a great party house and Duffy's Circus wintered at Pellipar one year. RJL would pay on/off visits to the house and it was a well kept, busy and lively dwelling.
THE DECLINING DAYS OF PELLIPAR "By the late twenties Pellipar was in serious decline" WWI was the being of this terrible stage for the house when RJL, who was already a military man, became Colonel Ogilby. The house was run by caretakers in these days. A lot of the information about the house during the late twenties comes from a young girl who visited Pellipar on holidays wither her uncle, the landsteward. She then lived in the house for two years with her family. Colonel Ogilby did not visit Pellipar during her long stay period with her family but she did enjoy careering the empty house on bicycles with her friends. Up and down the corridors they did cycle, over the floor which was once cleaned so hard that it became quite close to a mirror floor by the housekeepers and Co. The uncle landsteward was known as William Gregg and he left in 1930 and the Big house was under the constant supervision of a tough caretaker who was good with unwanted and uncooperative beings. The house was obviously too big for one caretaker to handle and the presumption is made that it probably continued to decline while she lived there. Then war and Henry saved the house (see above).
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Lamp
originally from Pellipar House