Cappagh House
Cappagh House is an example of a late 19th Century landowner’s house. It’s associated farm and stable yards along with the original Old Cappagh House (circa 1800) are of architectural and historical interest.
Nestled between the Knockmealdown and Comeragh mountains
Cappagh is situated in the heart of rural West Waterford in South East Ireland. It is in the midst of beautiful countryside; nestled between the Knockmealdown and Comeragh mountains to the North and the sea to the South with a wonderful coastline and the nearby River Blackwater with stunning scenery.
At various times of the year the house and grounds are open to the public. Please see the ‘Visit us’ page.
Accommodations is available in a self-catering cottage beside the stable yard. Bed and breakfast accommodation in Cappagh House is also available on occasion. Please see the ‘Stay with us’ page.
Cappagh House History & Grounds
The lands at Cappagh were originally acquired by the Ussher family in the early 18th century through a marriage settlement. Subsequently the family increase the size of the estate to about 5,000 acres, most of which was farmed by tenant farmers, with about 300 acres of farm and woodland managed by the Ussher family. The family held the estate for six generations, although it was much reduced in size after the land acts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The original house at Cappagh – ‘Old Cappagh House’ – was built in the early 1800’s by Richard Ussher. This house is situated in front of the stable yard and the wings of the house extend back to form a completely enclosed quadrant – useful in the past to keep cattle and sheep raiders away. The house has been uninhabited since the 1950’s.
In 1875 Richard Ussher’s son (Richard John Ussher) built the current Cappagh House on a more elevated site with wonderful views across green parkland to the lake and hills beyond. It was designed by James Otway and Robert Watt, architects and engineers who were building the local railway from Dungarvan to Mallow. On a slope with woodland behind it, the house is well sheltered, nestled into the contours of the land and surrounded by fine trees. The large feature staircase window captures another view to the side of the house. The conservatory shown on plans was never built.
The Chavasse family first moved to Cappagh in 1944, when Oonah Chavasse bought the house having dreamt for 3 successive nights that she would live there. She was living in Castletownshend in West Cork and travelled up just in time to buy the house at auction, without even having time to look around!
Oonah’s husband Kendal (‘The Colonel’) returned to Ireland to embark on his new career as a farmer after the war, which he embraced with great enthusiasm. He was a founder member of the Irish Farmers’ Association and very involved with the local Dungarvan Agricultural Show. He was also a keen hunting man and was secretary of the West Waterford Hunt for 19 years.
The current owners, Charles and Claire, and their children, are the 3rd and 4th generation of Chavasses to live at Cappagh.
The estate now consists of 190 acres, half of which is grazing farmland and the remainder is made up of woodland, natural habitat and farm buildings. An old walled garden houses a rambling orchard with many of the older varieties of apple trees along with a few pears, plums, soft fruits and an old fig tree. Next to the orchard is an area known as ‘The American Grounds’. Circa 1840, before the famine, a man-made lake was dug, formal walks were laid out around the lake and the ruins of an early 16th Century fortified house were partially restored as a folly. The work done at this time was reputedly overseen by an American, hence the name. He also planted many rhododendrons and there is hardly a month of the year where there isn’t one in bloom somewhere on the estate.