Bridgemount House in Lecarrow

While walking in the direction of Gweeshadan, a sizeable blue house known as Bridgemount House can be seen over a high wall. This house was the home of the Acton family during the 19th century. It was also the seat of G.H. Acton in 1894 (Michigan State University, 2009). “At the time of Griffith’s Valuation, it was held in fee by George Acton and valued at £10” (Landed Estates-- Bridgemount House — 2011-2024). “The Acton family had an estate of over a thousand acres in the parish of Drum, barony of Carra, county Mayo in the 19th century. At the time of Griffith’s Valuation George Rozea Acton held the townlands of Lecarrow and Drummeennavaddoge. He was also a joint trustee for the sale of the Jones estate in the parish of Drum in 1856. Lane contends that Acton was a land agent for estates in the area. By March 1916, George H. Acton had accepted an offer from the Congested Districts' Board for the purchase of 805 acres of his estate” (Landed Estates—Acton—2011-2024).

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The ‘National Built Heritage Service’ (n.d.) describes the stately house as “A farmhouse erected for George Rozea Acton (d. 1879) representing an integral component of the nineteenth-century domestic built heritage of County Mayo with the architectural value of the composition, one succeeding an earlier 'Bridgemount…of Joseph Acton Esquire' (Lewis 1837 I, 510), suggested by such attributes as the deliberate alignment maximising on scenic vistas overlooking wooded grounds and the stream-like Meander River..”

The same source reveals some of the people and institutions that Bridgemount House had connections with over the years. It reads, “the Acton family including George Henry Acton (----), 'Landowner [and] Farmer' (NA 1911); and the Coyne family including Judge Liam Coyne (1888-1953) and Dame Judy Coyne (née Begley) (1904-2002), 'Commander of the Order of Saint Sylvester' and co-founder of the Knock Shrine Society (founded 1937).”

The fire at Bridgemount House:

In May of 2020, Tom Sheil of ‘The Irish Times’ wrote that, “An overnight fire has extensively damaged one of Co Mayo’s most historic homes, Bridgemount House at Belcarra near Castlebar. A number of units of Mayo Fire Brigade spent much of the night battling the blaze before eventually bringing the flames under control. The current occupiers of the two-storey building managed to flee the property on Tuesday evening after smelling smoke. They then raised the alarm. There are no reports of injuries in the outbreak which is being investigated by gardaí on Wednesday.” Sheil (2020) carries on to write, “Bridgemount House was the home of the Acton family in the 19th century and later became the place of residence of Dame Judy Coyne, founder of the Knock Handmaidens' Society, and her husband Liam Coyne, a District Court Judge in the early years of the Irish Free State. The local Belcarra community say they are shocked and saddened by the damage to a building they describe as an “architectural treasure.”

Famine wall

It is said that a famine wall can be seen while passing Bridgemount House on the way to Guesdian graveyard. Such walls were constructed in Famine times (mid 1800’s), where struggling—and often starving-- tenants were given food or a small amount of money to construct stone walls-- which were typically on part of a landlord’s property (M. Kingdon).

References:

  1. Landed Estates, University of Galway (2011-2024) Acton (Bridgemount). Available at: https://landedestates.ie/estate/422 Accessed 1st of November, 2024.

  2. Landed Estates, University of Galway. (2011-2024). Bridgemount House (Drum). Available at: https://landedestates.ie/property/332 Accessed 1st of November, 2024.

  3. Michigan State University, Study Abroad Programme. (2009). Bridgemount House, Lecarrow. Internal Report: Folder 1, Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail—Clogher Environmental Group Ltd. Unpublished.

  4. National Built Heritage Service (n.d.) Bridgemount House, Lecarrow. Available at: https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/31309006/bridgemount-house-lecarrow-carr-by-drum-ph-mayo Accessed 1st of November, 2024.

  5. Sheil, T. (2020). Historic Bridgemount House in Mayo badly damaged by fire. Available at: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/historic-bridgemount-house-in-mayo-badly-damaged-by-fire-1.4246357 Accessed 1st of November, 2024.