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THESE PICTURES SHOW the devastation from a massive fire that has gutted a historic house in Cork.
The blaze at Mount Vernon House on Sunday took hold in the evening time with Cork County Council saying they believe it was caused by arson.
Gardaí have been investigating the fire and have sought information on reports that a number of people had been in the area at the time.
The house itself was first built in 1784 and has been described as“arguably the finest example of this building form to survive in the country”.
The house had fallen into disrepair with the US-based owner denied planning permission to develop the house and grounds.
These pictures show that the fire has now completely destroyed the building.
Pictures by Kieran Minihane
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Source: Kieran Minihane" title="">
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Quite clearly the place hasn’t been looked after, only a matter of time before someone did this. Same as Belcamp.
Awful shame
Yes, let’s blame the owner for people setting his property on fire
it is still not sure who set the fire, i am sure the gardai are investigating every angle
Should never have been sold to a private individual, end of story! The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht have a lot to answer for in relation to a lot of ‘protected’ buildings across the country.
Graffiti artists template destroyed by fire the headline should read. As only now its historical abundance has been taken into account. Perhaps if they had of let the American owner restore it, this may never have happened.
Planning was for apartments and flats. Council even paid to redo the roof a few years ago to maintain its authenticity
Fair enough Dave. Tho if its a grade 1 listed building they have to abide by strict restoration rules. So money spent on refurb would be astronomical. Hence expensive flats and well done at that.
Why not just sell it on to someone who wants to refurbish it? Like the national trust? It’s disgraceful that someone can let it get into such disrepair
The owners were looking for planning for large scale development of the lands surrounding the old house and the council refused it because of the impact such a development would have on the local infrastructure.
What a waste…
The property should have been properly secured. It’s not expensive to have web connected surveillance. Cork county counsellors should be fired over this. Planning laws require councils to seize derelict property. This was an exceptional building, note lost forever. Another vital thing is that all such properties should be 3D laser scanned at a minimum for posterity. People in charge are m.o.r.o.n.s
Spot on
property rights (along with the family) are afforded a primacy in the constitution and the laws enacted under its rubric, and are thus difficult to interfere with (even when the common good is clear)
Good point but this is in direct conflict with the Derelict Sites Act 1990 which specifically enables LAs to take charge of a site. http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1990/act/14/enacted/en/html?q=derelict
This reminds me of the Good shepherd home on Strawberry Hill cork.. They wanted to built apartments there & were refused permission & soon afterwards there was a massive fire there & another last year i think & now the shell of what’s left of it is just standing & rotting.. Maybe same thing will happen vernon mount… Very sad to see such beautiful buildings destroyed….
Reminds me of what happened to Frescatti House in Blackrock, Co. Dublin when the developer didn’t get planning permission. Similar destruction happened in Monkstown, Co. Dublin previously with The Hall School.
Please tell me this house had nothing to do with the Easter Rising.
We must keep focused on those beautiful mobile phone repair shops on Moore Street that didn’t exist during the Rising. That is our most important heritage.
Alpha. Would that be because mobile phones didn’ exist either?
Olaf Maxwell owns this property but hasn’t done anything with it. The government dept for arts, heritage and gaeltacht contributed to the upkeep of this property. But alas nothing was done to bring it back to life and make it a part of our history.
Olaf Maxwell does not own the property. He represents the owner.
No vision to protect our history. This house was of significant historical interest in Cork. But as usual lip service paid to looking after it. Now the bleeding hearts are complaining about the state it was in. Too little too late folks.
Cork has a bad history of minding its heritage.
Ah that’s very sad. Was at 21sts, New Years and was once a Santa’s Elf there.
Really? What age are you!
102 haha no. In the 90s it was part of the Cork Motorcycle and Car club.
Wtf??
If at first you don’t succeed, burn it. Not the first time this has happened and it won’t be the last.
That’s great news in fairness.
Daesh?
Exactly what I was thinking Damocles, of course the liberal mainstream media and cultural Marxists will just say the arsonist was ‘mentally unstable’. The fire was all part of George Soros and Peter Sutherland’s plan to create an open house that anyone can clearly now just wander in to.
“Exactly what I was thinking Damocles”
Except you’re being serious, and I’m not.
Hmm, I think the clue was in my second sentence, and first one.
Knock it, good location for a new housing development which is badly needed in Cork
There’s a world championship hosting motocross track on the rest of the site so I would disagree with you there.
They should be made had over whats left for a park or some other public amenity; and not to let the owner profit from this destruction of Irish heritage by letting him now build houses on it.
It should be reinstated to its old self and the developer should pay. Make it mandatory for developers who neglect to protect their property to be fined and the building rebuilt or reinstated to the time they bought them. If they were in poor condition then the board of works should repair them and charge the developers.
Does Doctor Unitys love spell work on Jihadists aswell. Just there’s thousands across Europe that may need help in learning to love their fellow human beings. He could make a bomb.( Excuse the pun. )
Could Dr unity stop Brexit?
It s a such a shame we allow the destruction of so much of history, how many countries up till the 90s still had so many surviving buildings, shops fronts, pubs etc.. We could of learnt so much for other countries and build a balance of modern and historical, but what we do destroy build horrible buildings beside and in between old ones.
have your say