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Kilbrogan House was built in 1818 on the
site of a previous house. Originally, this home was
part of the Bandon Estate of the 6th Duke of Devonshire.
In 1896, Spencer Compton, who was the 8th Duke of Devonshire, sold the freehold
to George Thomas Jones, who was a land agent. At that time, although the
Devonshires owned the estate, the home was leased to John Hornibrook, a local
tanner.
Mr Jones held onto Kilbrogan House for only four years. On 16th March,
1900, he sold the freehold of the property to Richard Wheeler Doherty who was
his business partner. An auction of the effects of George Jones took place
in the house in 1900 and included rare and expensive paintings, oil and water
colours, engravings, Dresden and other ornaments, a magnificent full orchestral
musical box, an American organ, silver, phonographs, pony carriages and rare
poultry.
A large greenhouse was built on the south wall in the garden in 1901. The
remains of this are still visible. It is likely that this was erected by
Richard Wheeler Doherty who was trying his hand at improving the property.
However, Richard Doherty never lived in the property. He leased it to the
McCarthy family who were solicitors in the town. They moved out in 1912
and the house was then leased to Joseph Brennan who lived in the house until
1946.
Mr Brennan had significant business interests in Bandon including a
bakery, a brewery, a corn merchants, a mill and electric company and a grocery
and wine business. The flour mills were on the northern side of the river
adjacent to the weir and they supplied electric power to the town from 1919
until 1939. The mills were destroyed by fire in May 1968. In
addition, Mr Brennan's son, Dr Joseph Brennan, became Chairman of the Irish
Currency Commision from 1927 until 1943 and was the first governor of the Central
Bank of Ireland
from 1943 to 1953. His signature appeared on the Irish currency notes for
many years.
The freehold of
the home passed from Richard Doherty to his wife and then to his
daughter in 1939. She sold the freehold of the property on 10th
April 1967 to Eugene Calnan, a medical doctor who owned the leasehold of
the house since 1946 when the Brennans moved out. The back dining room
of the present house served as his consulting rooms and he had a
separate entrance for the public at the side of the house. The
house passed from Eugene Calnan's daughter, Margaret, to her son, Ben
Shorten.
In 1992 the present owner purchased and renovated this
fine Georgian home and has now opened the formerly private residence for
luxurious overnight accommodation.
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