LARGE IONIC COLUMN PORTICO. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
One of the more unusual lots of architectural salvage at the James Adam House to Garden sale on May 20 is this ionic column portico from Mote Park House in Co. Roscommon. The disassembled unit comprises four columns and capitals, a dentil frieze and some steps. The pillars were a major part of the refurbishment designed by architect Sir Richard Morrison (1767-1849) in the mid-19th Century for the Crofton family. The Croftons have been in residence around the Mote region of Roscommon since at least 1579 when John Crofton was appointed Auditor General of Ireland by Queen Elizabeth I. When the family eventually dispersed in the 1950’s the house fell into disrepair and it was demolished by the Irish Land Commission in 1959. The portico was salvaged by Fr. Brian Hanley prior to the demolition and placed on display at his own home Kedagh House, Galway, where it then entered the public sphere after his passing in 2012. It is estimated at €50,000-€70,000.
