Permission sought for Gate Cottage restoration to historic Lough Eske estate

Planning permission has been sought from Donegal County Council to restore a Gate Cottage to a historic Lough Eske house.

Liane Black, a resident of Lough Eske’s Ard na Mona House, has applied for planning permission for the renovation and refurbishment of the existing cottage, encompassing roof repairs, barge board restoration, and extension. 

Ard na Mona House was built in 1835 and lived in by George Cecil Gore Wray, followed by Sir Arthur Wallace, a political lawyer in the Irish Secretariat of the Diplomatic Service in Dublin Castle, and later a High Sheriff of Donegal. 

Garbhan McCaffrey of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI), writing on behalf of Lianne Black, wrote that the house was “long admired for its striking demesne setting, gardens and relationship with the northern shoreline of Lough Eske.”

Regarding the Gate Cottage, subject to the planning permission, McCaffrey wrote that it was a “modest yet architecturally important component of the original estate layout.”

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He commented: “Its form, scale and detailing are characteristic of 19th-century estate architecture, where gate lodges served both functional and symbolic purposes - accommodating estate staff while marking the formal threshold to the demesne.

“The cottage plays a critical role in defining the historic arrival sequence and contributes significantly to the architectural identity of the estate.” 

According to documents submitted to Donegal County Council, the Black family of Ard na Mona House remained committed to architectural conservation, desmesne management, woodland management plan, and a stewardship of Ardnamona Wood SAC. 

The restored Gate Cottage, writes McCaffrey, would be “deliberately contemporary” and “avoiding pastiche.”

He concludes: “The restoration and extension of the Gate Cottage continues the Black family’s legacy of responsible stewardship of Ard na Mona. 

“The proposal is conservation-led, respectful of heritage, and environmentally sound. With no adverse impact on the Ardnamona Wood SAC and a robust construction management plan in place, the project represents best practice in heritage conservation and sustainable estate living.”