Castlebar St, Westport

Although not originally from Nenagh (as far as we know). William made an impact on the local district and is therefore worthy of a mention on this website. One looks at the architecture of local buildings such as Kilboy House, Traverston House and Prior Park and they are all united by a common creator - so called amateur architect William Leeson. But who was he and why is so so difficult to pin down?  Very little is known about him yet his work is anything but second rate. The associated buildings of Leeson have a style of their own although some merely reflect his response to other influences. 

We commence first by delving into the Archives looking for clues and seeking out anything that would give us a handle on William, his forebears or his descendants. The first record I encountered was a record in The Execrable Irish Rebellion of 1641 of a John Leeson son of William who was taken from his home, stripped and hanged in Wicklow in November of that year. This is the earliest record of a William Leeson in Ireland that I have found. He would have been too old to have any involvement in our buildings. Expand the search to England and there’s any amount of contenders to consider.

The next William Leeson I came across was a clerk/counsellor who acted as a witness on some legal documents for Richard Lord Bellew, of Dulleek. However this was back in 1709. 

According to the Quaker Book of Sufferings, a certain William Leeson is visiting premises to recover monies in respect of outstanding Tithes which have been unpaid. These visits took place in 1726. 

Is this the same person….?  .....or a successor to the witness?

Is the Counsellor referred to as a witness, just another variant of a Bailiff.? There is also a reference to William the Counsellor - a nephew of Joseph Leeson,  in his will of 1741. Joseph was 1st Earl of Milltown and the builder of that gem of Palladian Architecture, Russborough House. William the Counsellor would himself die in 1751. Should he be considered as a contender to be William the Architects father?

The temptation here is to ponder, did our William learn his craft under the tutelage of German architect Richard Cassells (aka Castle)? Cassell was the designer and architect of Russborough House (1742) and one of three involved at Westport House (1731). No doubt it would show why so many doors were open to William the Architect within the ascendancy class. It would also explain why a relative unknown is given the freedom to re-design the street layout of Cathair na Mart, for John Browne, 1st Earl Altamont of Westport in 1767.

An advertisement in Faulkner’s Dublin Journal on 17/03/1767 had advertised for the building of a new town. This would become the new town of Westport. Any pupil of Richard Cassell would be considered most favourably. Cassell’s designs were simple, balanced and effective. They had simplified and restrained exteriors in the Palladian style but the interiors gave way to a riot of exuberant rococo plasterwork. These designs were very much aimed at the agricultural aspect, dividing the outside in walled quadrants and accompanying barns with the main house sitting firmly in the centre. This proved to be a popular concept in Ireland, no doubt echoing the Bawns and Fortified enclosures of old.

There is a gap of 10 years or so before Leeson’s next credited project. It may well be that he was working on the drawings for future projects, learning his craft under his mentor or hasn’t yet been credited with other work. An entry in the Dictionary of Irish Architects credits William with the design and construction of a two storey villa at Brooklodge, Ballyglunin, Co Galway for Christopher French. This dates from 1775-76 with Leeson returning to build an extension between 1786 and 88.

Leeson’s next credited work was Peterfield House (later renamed Johnstown) at Kilodiernan outside Puckane. It was designed and constructed between 1777 and 1786. The client here was Peter Holmes who was also responsible for Peter Holmes street in Nenagh later abbreviated to Peter St. 

A near neighbour of the Holmes family were the Wallers of Prior Park, Puckane. Leeson is credited with constructing Prior Park House in 1779 - 86 for the owner, James Otway. Architecturally it looks quite similar to Peterfield. However it looks unbalanced with the windows looking too small within the expanse of wall. Simple blind pilasters would have remedied this in my opinion. These houses were followed by the exceptional Kilboy House outside Dolla for Lord Dunalley in 1775-80 and also during this period of time Leeson was working on Clonbrock House (1780-88) in Galway for Robert Dillon. This was situate near Mount Bellew (remember William the Counsellor).  There is also to be included Traverston House, Lisgorriff in 1786 for Robert Going where Leeson returns to his well proven simple box formula for design. How much was he influenced by the recently built (1779), John Roberts square and spartan designed Tyrone House on Galway Bay. Surely Traverston House is just a homage. Certainly the similarities are striking. 

Of course these decisions on design are more likely to have been made by the client with any form of embellishment having a cost consideration. As with any form of creativity, the person holding the purse strings ultimately calls the tune, with artistic vision being determined by cost and how much the client is willing to pay. 

An interesting interlude happens in 1784. Enter Austin Cooper into the mix. Born in Killinure outside of Ardfinnan in South Tipperary, he would later make his mark in the treasury department of Dublin Castle. While there he met with Gabriel Beranger, noted antiquarian artist and also part of the Dublin Castle treasury staff. Beranger and Cooper were encouraged by William Burton Conyngham, teller of the Exchequer and antiquarian, to visit and record Irish antiquities as they existed at the time. This would be no problem for Beranger who was a competent artist, however Cooper had quite a naive style. Cooper seems to have met up with William Leeson. 

On the left we have a typical Austin Cooper sketch, drawn by himself and of the Donjon at Nenagh. However on the right hand side we have a drawing by William Leeson which has been adulterated by Cooper.

a series of works created at Knockmoy Abbey by William Leeson and edited by Austin Cooper

On a number of his sketches, re-edited in Coopers unique style, are the notes that the original having been drawn by Leeson would have been edited by Cooper.  It was during this time he created some sketches of Knockmoy Abbey Ruins also in Galway. The most famous of these drawings were a record of the so-called Knockmoy fresco’s. In actual fact they should be more suitably referred to as monochromatic line drawings. Although the drawings are credited to Cooper, it clearly shows that the originals were drawn by Leeson, including an architectural plan of the Abbey. This is probably the closest can get to Leeson’s original architectural style.