Abandoned houses/ruins on Fota island

Shenshen

I don't know how many people even know about them, but when you drive past the long wall of Fota Island Gardens, there is a row of tumble-down houses on the other side of the road, hidden in the trees and bushes. You can spot them easily enough when you know they're there, but if you didn't know about them you would never see them, despite them being only maybe 3 or 4 meters back from the road.
I've been going up and down this road for next to a year now, and I only ever noticed the houses 2 weeks ago when someone pointed them out to me as we drove past.

I've been wondering about their history for those past two weeks now. As I haven't had the chance yet to get a close-up look I can't even venture a guess as to their age, but they look abandoned for a good few decades.
Does anybody know anything about those houses? Who lived there? Who built them? When and why were they abandoned? Any kind of history or story would be appreciated, as an online search so far had no results at all....

Thanks in advance!

Abelloid

I've driven that road back and forth twice a day for 8 years now, where are they?

Ash.J.Williams

from an 1837 article:
http://www.libraryireland.com/Lewis/LewisF/47-FOATY.php/index.php

near the south-east termination of the demesne are some very neat cottages, occupied by the numerous workmen employed on the estate; and a male and female school, with residences for the master and mistress, built and wholly supported by Mr. and Mrs. Smith Barry.

Abelloid

Wow. I've never noticed them.


http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=fota+cork&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=47.483365,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Fota,+County+Cork,+Ireland&ll=51.89445,-8.283219&spn=0.00821,0.038581&z=15&layer=c&cbll=51.89444,-8.283224&panoid=wdUIiOs-hoiZekAiiAA8ug&cbp=12,167.64,,0,6.3

Shenshen

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

from an 1837 article:
http://www.libraryireland.com/Lewis/LewisF/47-FOATY.php/index.php

There was a school there as well? Wow, those houses don't look anywhere near big enough.
I had suspected that they used to be occupied by people working on the estate, thanks for confirming this. Interesting to see that they would be even pre-Victorian.

I'm not sure how "neat" they would have been, being very close to the water I would imagine they were rather damp and would occasionally get flooded...

Shenshen

JustinOval wrote: »

Wow. I've never noticed them.


http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=fota+cork&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=47.483365,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Fota,+County+Cork,+Ireland&ll=51.89445,-8.283219&spn=0.00821,0.038581&z=15&layer=c&cbll=51.89444,-8.283224&panoid=wdUIiOs-hoiZekAiiAA8ug&cbp=12,167.64,,0,6.3

I would never ever have spotted them if somebody hadn't pointed them out to me

digme

The bell on the arch "green gates" across the road used to ring to tell them come in for work in the mornings.Nice to see someone noticed.

Abelloid

Shenshen wrote: »

I would never ever have spotted them if somebody hadn't pointed them out to me

Thanks for sharing, I'm going to take a closer look this week.

Shenshen

digme wrote: »

The bell on the arch "green gates" across the road used to ring to tell them come in for work in the mornings.Nice to see someone noticed.

Which gates are those?

Seloth

I'm not too sure how accurate this information is but I think they were inhabited untill the 40's or 50's.

It was a friend of mine who pointed them out as well,who claimed his Uncle once lived there.

Corkblowin

I believe they were lodges for the farmhands of the Fota Estate. They would have been built around the same time as the wall and if you slow down driving past you'll notice a pedestrian gate in the stone wall opposite the entrance to the houses. The whole lot was owned by Fleming, don't know what plans there are for them now.

I've walked in around them and there's 9 or 10 two-storey units in there - very small....one room up and one down. Beautiful aspect out to the estuary.

reverenddave

HA i've been on that road a few thousand time over the last 26 years
and only noticed them last year

tommy21

Shenshen wrote: »

I don't know how many people even know about them, but when you drive past the long wall of Fota Island Gardens, there is a row of tumble-down houses on the other side of the road, hidden in the trees and bushes. You can spot them easily enough when you know they're there, but if you didn't know about them you would never see them, despite them being only maybe 3 or 4 meters back from the road.
I've been going up and down this road for next to a year now, and I only ever noticed the houses 2 weeks ago when someone pointed them out to me as we drove past.

I've been wondering about their history for those past two weeks now. As I haven't had the chance yet to get a close-up look I can't even venture a guess as to their age, but they look abandoned for a good few decades.
Does anybody know anything about those houses? Who lived there? Who built them? When and why were they abandoned? Any kind of history or story would be appreciated, as an online search so far had no results at all....

Thanks in advance!

Judes

Delighted to get this bit of info, as I've been wondering for years also, the ruins aren't as noticeable in the summer but as the autumn leaves fall, you can see them more clearly (best landmark to find them - it's by the bend in the road, where the wall is painted yellow/black to highlight the danger of the bend). So that's why a lot of commuters would miss the ruins, too busy concentrating on the bend of the road. For years I keep telling myself to get in there with my camera, but then I wonder - "how" - as I don't know if it's bogland, where to enter from, as it wouldn't be the safest place to hop the wall, on a dangerous bend. So if any of you know how I could actually get there, how safe it is, much appreciated. Didn't notice the arch opposite, so now i'll have to look out for that. J

Shenshen

Judes wrote: »

Delighted to get this bit of info, as I've been wondering for years also, the ruins aren't as noticeable in the summer but as the autumn leaves fall, you can see them more clearly (best landmark to find them - it's by the bend in the road, where the wall is painted yellow/black to highlight the danger of the bend). So that's why a lot of commuters would miss the ruins, too busy concentrating on the bend of the road. For years I keep telling myself to get in there with my camera, but then I wonder - "how" - as I don't know if it's bogland, where to enter from, as it wouldn't be the safest place to hop the wall, on a dangerous bend. So if any of you know how I could actually get there, how safe it is, much appreciated. Didn't notice the arch opposite, so now i'll have to look out for that. J

There is a cattle gate a little further on. It looks as if it would be easy enough to open, or even climb over.
I've been thinking the same thing, but I was actually a little more worried about where to park the car, because I don't want to be walking too far on that road, it would scare me to death the way people belt down there.

Judes

Agree with you on that one - infact, I may leave it to you to try out first - if successful (i.e. you survive the experience) then I may jump that gate too. But my concern has also been where to park/how to get in there safely and live to tell the tale. That's the thing about Cobh and the Great Island - there's always something new to see/discover - of course when I say "new" I actually mean historical/old.

Abelloid

Judes

Brave man Justin - but fabulous shots. Well done - dare I ask - where did you park - and how did you get in there. J

Abelloid

Thanks. There is a gate right there where the first pic was taken, with just enough room to safely pull in off the road, driving you might not notice it as it's just before/after the bend.

Here -

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=fota+cork&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=47.483365,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Fota,+County+Cork,+Ireland&layer=c&cbll=51.894415,-8.283921&panoid=wfe_3i6c8bCTukXlTFWnTg&cbp=12,137.69,,0,6.16&ll=51.89445,-8.283219&spn=0.017532,0.054932&z=15

gbee

reverenddave wrote: »

HA i've been on that road a few thousand time over the last 26 years
and only noticed them last year

Two things, they are on a dangerous bend as far as the driver is concerned.

There has been bit a cut back and a die back of vegetation.

Corkblowin

Hadn't been back here in a while.

Easiest thing to do is wait until tide is out and then hop over the ditch and walk along the shore....mostly stones.....just bring boots!

Abelloid

No, the easiest thing to do is park right at the gate.

Abelloid

Ok, who was that in the navy Golf on Friday afternoon?