Fruithill House
(Note: Please respect the privacy of the owners of these houses as they are private dwellings.)
Fruit Hill was part of the Glascott estate which included Alderton (Ballyfarnogue) and Killowen. Whitechurch was called the Glascott Estate in the 1800′s. George Glascott, who was a grandson of the original William Glascott of Alderton, bought the townland of Ballinamóna in 1746. Fruit hill is part of this townland. It passed down to his grandson who was also George. This George had no sons but daughters. They had no children.When Juliana died in 1885 Fruit Hill passed on to her cousin Gerald Annesly Glascott. Gerald died on a steamship in the Suez Canal in 1909.His estate at Fruit Hill, of over 148 acres, went to his brother John. He died in 1938. The Glascott graves can be seen in Whitechurch cemetery and the gravestone inscrpitions are worth reading.
William Kirby came to work in Fruit Hill around 1903 and was granted the house and seven acres by the Land Commission. It was costly for him to maintain the house and so he moved to the nearby coach house. His son Ned lived here for over thirty years and sold the entire property around 1965. He passed away in 2000.
The house is now owned by Richard and Susan Devane and they are doing a great job in restoring it to its former glory and we wish them well. Up to a few years ago the house was in ruins.
The house is a three storey with no basement. It has lovely dormer windows with a venetian window in the front.
5th Class had a very enjoyable to Fruit Hill House on 7th June 2013.