Rosmead House

The Rosmead Estate is to the north of Delvin on the N52.

Rosmead house was built in the early 1700s by the Wood family and in its heyday, was a magnificent, seven bay, four storey house (including basement).

Admiral Hercules Robinson Senior married Frances Elizabeth Wood, daughter and heir of H.W. Wood and they lived at Rosmead until 1849. Their son, Hercules Junior left Ireland and in 1854 became President Administrator of the Government of Monserrat. In 1896 he was made a baronet and chose the title ‘Baron of Rosmead’.

Lord Vaux of Harrowden later took over Rosmead and, in 1856, built an extension designed by the architect Sandham Symes.

Records show that Vicomte de la Bedoyere was in possession of the farm in the early 1900s but (sadly) the house has been derelict since the 1940s.

The arch way leading in to the estate – “Smiling Bess” – was designed by Samuel Wolley and dates back to 1792. The arch is popular with passing visitors although the remains of the house itself are not open to the public.