| Description |
New Forest is a five-bay three-storey over basement country house, built in the 1770s by the Evans family and acquired by Henry Daniel before the end of the century. In 1837 New Forest was the home of a H. Daniel described by Lewis as ‘one of the most complete and gentlemanly residences in the county of Westmeath’. In 1843 Henry was succeeded by his son Robert Daniel who Griffith’s Valuation (publ. 1854) records was the occupant holding the house valued at £55 from Francis Evans. When the Evans estates in counties Mayo, Monaghan and Westmeath were for sale in the Landed Estates Court in November 1871, Newforest was described as forming 'one of the most complete and gentlemanly residences in the county of Westmeath'. (LEC rental 14 November 1871). O’Brien writes that the Daniels bequeathed the estate to the Catholic Church in the 20th century. It was sold in 1948 to Lt-General Sir Charles Gairdner, who was later appointed Governor of Western Australia (1951–1963) and then Governor of Tasmania (1963-68). Its extensive mature landscaped grounds are now in use as a golf course and the house is a hotel see https://newforest.ie/ |
