St. Catherine's Park

Area

445 m²

Buildings

1 building touches it. Its footprint covers 67 m².

Zoning

G4 Open Space and Amenity (Leixlip LAP 2020-2023) The objective

Townland

St. Catherine's Park

Planning applications on this parcel

• 22 Nov 2021Conditional

  for alterations and additions to an existing garden shed building. The alterations and additions will include the construction of a single storey pitched roof extension (28m²) plus a single storey low pitched lean-to roof extension (10m²) to the front and side of the existing garden shed in order to provide additional storage, along with all associated site works. The existing garden shed was approved under KCC register reference 18/34

  Permission · Kildare County Council, 211640

• 15 Jan 2018Conditional

  alterations and additions to an existing dwelling house at Gate Lodge Number 2, St Catherines Park, Sillechain Lane, Mill Lane, Leixlip, Co.Kildare, the alterations and additions will include the construction of single storey extensions for kitchen/dining (26.19m2) and boiler room (3.33m2) with lean to roofs to the sides of existing ground floor layout, construction of a pitched roof first floor bedroom extension (18.48m2) replacement windows and door to front elevation, construction of a single storey stand alone garden shed/store (48.87m2) with pitched roof at the south-east of the house, the construction of a new entrance wall & gates at the front north-west boundary of the site, construction of new timber fence along south boundary, and all associated site works

  Permission, 1 home · Kildare County Council, 1834

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches this parcel.

Recorded monuments around it

This parcel is in the zone of notification of 16 recorded monuments.

• DU017-115 Kiln - lime
  Description

  Annotated ‘L.K.’ on the 1863 edition of the OS 25-inch map where a square-shaped kiln is depicted standing immediately to the west of a laneway leading to a disused quarry located 50m to the south.  River Liffey forming the county boundary with Kildare 40m to the west.  Limekiln not depicted on the 1837 edition of the Ordnance Survey six-inch map. Not visible on the 2013-18 MapGenie orthoimage.  Area where limekiln was located is now a green area of landscaping.   Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien   Date of Compilation: 26 November 2025

• KD011-004001 Historic town
  Description

  Located at the confluence of the E-flowing River Liffey and its tributary, the S-flowing Rye Water. According to Bradley et al. (1986 vol. 3, 304-305), the existence of a Scandinavian placename 'Lex-hlaup' / 'salmon leap', suggests a Viking settlement. In the late-12th/early-13th century, Leixlip was also known by the name 'Ernia' or 'Hernie', possibly derived from An Urnaidhe, meaning oratory, which may also indicate the presence of a pre-Norman ecclesiastical site. The earliest definite evidence for settlement occurs in the late-12th century when Adam De Hereford established a castle and borough and granted the church and burgage to St Thomas' Abbey. Subsequently another burgage was given to St. Mary's Abbey in Dublin. The borough was looted and burnt by Edward Bruce's army in 1317, but otherwise seems to have remained relatively undisturbed. A population of 100 was recorded in the census of 1659. The town was confined to a narrow strip of land between the Liffey on the S, a high ridge on the N, and the Rye Water on the W, with the main street running roughly E-W along the centre of this strip of ground. A burgage plot pattern survives on the N and S of Main Street. The settlement included an early castle (KD011-004002-), a church (KD011-004003-) and graveyard (KD011-004004-), and a tower house (KD011-004005-), while archaeological excavation has uncovered medieval deposits to the N of Main Street (KD011-004007-). Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011

• KD011-004002 Castle - Anglo-Norman masonry castle
  Description

  Just S of the confluence of the River Liffey and its tributary the Rye Water. According to Bradley et al. (1986 vol. 3, 309-311), Adam de Hereford's grants to St. Thomas' Abbey, which mention his castle of 'Hernie' or 'Ernia', can be dated to before 1212. While the original castle may have been a motte, by the time of the grants the castle had a grange and a chapel attached. Around 1252, the manor of Leixlip passed from Adam's son, Stephen, to the Pippard family. In 1302, Ralph Pippard granted all his manors in Ireland to the King, and in 1303-4, monies were spent on constructing a kitchen in the castle, building a limekiln to produce lime for works on the castle, breaking stone and cutting wood. In 1331, the King gave John de Grauntsete the custody of the manor and castle of Leixlip for ten years, but in 1336, they were given to Roger Outlaw, prior of Kilmainham, and they were probably held by the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem for more than a century, until Leixlip passed out of the Order's hands sometime between 1455 and 1479-80, when it was granted to Thomas Daniel, Lord of Rathwire. In 1496, Henry VII granted Leixlip to Gearóid Mór, 8th Earl of Kildare, but it was forfeited in 1536, after the rebellion of Silken Thomas. Subsequently it was granted to Matthew King, John Alen and William Vernon. In 1507, it was granted to Sir Nicholas White and remained in his family until the 18th c. The castle, an amalgam of several building phases is still lived in. While Guinness and Ryan (1971, 211-18) identified the pre-1700 sections as a circular tower at the NW corner with a recessed N-façade to its E, the rectangular hall behind to S, a sub-rectangular addition to the S of the hall and a rectangular building to the S of the complex, Bradley et al (1986 vol. 3, 311) contend that the only pre-1700 sections are the circular tower and rectangular hall (est. int. dims. L c. 14m E-W; Wth c. 5.5m). The E-wing dates to the mid-18th century, and further additions were made on the S in more recent times. The circular tower (int. diam. 6.7m; av. Wall T 1.2m) is of three stories and stands on a battered plinth. Modern sash have been inserted on the S, W and N sides and a chimney at NW. Adam de Hereford's grant to St. Thomas' Abbey, dated before 1212, specifically excludes the Chapel of St. Patrick in his castle of 'Hernie'. A narrow room above the main hall is called the chapel. The main staircase and the bolection mouldings of the panelling in the chapel may be late-17th c. (Bence-Jones 1978, 183) Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011

• KD011-004003 Church
  Description

  In a graveyard (KD011-004006-) just N of the confluence of the Rye Water with the River Liffey. According to Bradley et al. (1986 vol. 3, 312-18), the church of St. Mary of Hernie was granted by Adam de Hereford to the Abbey of St. Thomas in Dublin before 1212. In the ecclesiastical taxation of 1302-6, a moiety of the church of Leixlip was valued at 100s. The church was looted by Bruce's army in 1317. In 1463, the full tithes of the church of Blessed Mary of Leixlip were restored to St Thomas' Abbey, and remained in its possession until the Dissolution, after which the tithes were held by Nicholas Stanynghurst. The rectory was leased to Richard Manwaringe in 1567, surrendered by his widow in 1584, and subsequently leased to James Ryan. The visitation of Archbishop Buckley in 1630 noted that the church and chancel at Leixlip were ruinous. According to parish records, a major restoration commenced in 1675. A 13th century, rectangular, nave (int. dims. L 16.65m; Wth 7.95m; wall T 1.13m) and chancel (int. dims. L 9m; Wth 6.18m; wall T 0.83m) structure with a plain chancel arch (Wth 6.17m) is built of roughly coursed limestone blocks, and has a 15th century, four-storied, rectangular tower (int dims. L 3.5m; Wth 3m; wall T 1.25m), built of regularly coursed undressed limestone blocks, attached at W. A modern porch has been added at N. The remains have been substantially rebuilt; walls raised in height and fragments of earlier windows and doors incorporated in the walls. The steep pitch of an earlier roof line is visible in the E wall of the tower and in the E gable of the nave. The nave is entered through a modern doorway (Wth 0.93m) at the E end of the N wall, and an earlier, blocked, pointed doorway, with chamfered sandstone jambs, is visible mid-way along the wall. A splayed, flat-arched doorway (ext. Wth 1.57m; int Wth 1.71m) in the W gable gives access through the tower, and a blocked, splayed slit above opened into the tower. The nave is lit by two modern, pointed windows in the N wall, which also contains a blocked rectangular window, and by three round-arched and one pointed-arched window in the S wall, which also contains the jambs of a large, blocked window near the W end, and a blocked slit window near the E end. The chancel is lit by a modern, round, twin-light window in the E gable wall and by a modern, round-arched window in the S wall, which also contains a blocked, single-light, ogee-headed window, a carved head (KD011-004012-) and a 17th century graveslab (KD01-004010-). There is a blocked, modern, round-arched window in the N wall, which also contains a small, blocked, pointed-arched window. There is a 17th century graveslab (KD011-004009-) in the chancel floor, and the N wall of the chancel arch contains a 17th century armorial plaque (KD011-004008-). The later tower is built against the W gable of the nave and has a projecting stair turret at the NW angle which is lit at each level by rectangular, double-splayed loops. There is a round-arched doorway (Wth 1.4m) in the W wall, with a doorway opposite into the nave. The ground and first floors are both barrel-vaulted and the ground floor has blocked double-splayed slits in the N and S walls. First-floor level (dims. L 3.34m N-S; Wth 3.2m) is accessed through a doorway with a re-used medieval graveslab (KD011-004006-) as a lintel, and is lit by a single-light, cusped ogee-headed window in the S wall and by a similar window in the W wall. The E wall contains a blocked slit which looked into the church, and there is a double-splayed slit in the S wall. There is a blocked-up fireplace with an overhanging chimney supported on a corbel in the N wall. Second-floor level (dims. L 3.46m N-S; Wth 3.09m; wall T 1.06m) is lit by single-light, ogee-headed windows in the S and W walls, and there is a partially blocked, pointed-arched opening in the E wall which looked into the roof-space of the nave. There is a fireplace canopy in the NE corner. A modern ceiling is supported on original corbel stones. Third-floor level (dims. L 3.6m N-S; Wth 3.08m) has a blocked rectangular window in the S and W walls, and a round-arched window has been inserted into the E wall. The modern roof is supported on brickwork and the wall-walk outside has a drainage course below the parapet (wall T 0.4m). The tower contains a font (KD011-004011-) on the ground floor, and there is a second carved head (KD011-004013-) at the W end of the stair-turret's N wall, and a third carved head (KD011-004014-) at the E end of the tower's N wall. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011

• KD011-004004 Graveyard
  Description

  Just N of the confluence of the Rye Water with the River Liffey and containing a medieval church (KD011-004003-). A roughly square area (dims. L c. 60m; Wth c. 60m) is enclosed by a mortared stone wall. According to Colgan and Pegley's web article ('St. Mary's Graveyard, Main St, Leixlip.', accessed 12 April 2011 at www.kildare.ie/leixliphistory), the graveyard within the curtilage of St. Mary's Church (of Ireland, Episcopalian) served the wider Leixlip community, without reference to religious denomination, for many centuries. The graveyard is now virtually full and contemporary Leixlip burials - apart from cremations - are usually to the modern cemetery at Confey. The parish records of burials to St Mary's extend from 1668 to today. Unfortunately, substantial gaps exist in the years for which records are available; for example, during the period, 1668 to 1777, there are no entries in 44 of the years. There are smaller gaps in the data for the 19th century records. A list of graveyard inscriptions is also provided. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011

• KD011-004005 Castle - tower house
  Description

  Located at the E-end of the town. According to Bradley et al. (1986 vol. 3, 307-8), the earliest evidence for this building is in 1562 when it was granted to William Vernon. In 1570 it was granted to Nicholas White, and in 1654, the Civil Survey notes that 'Black Castle' was on the lands of the earl of Kildare. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was described as, 'a residence so modernised as to be indistinguishable except to one well acquainted with the locality'. The present structure is inhabited. It is a tall, narrow, four-storied, rectangular building (int. dims. L 7.5m E-W; Wth 6.5m N-S; wall T c. 0.65m), with a possible cellar, said by the present owner to be closed-up. There is a modern, single-storied extension to the S. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011

• KD011-004006 Graveslab
  Description

  In the 15th century tower at Leixlip church (KD011-004003-) where it is reused as a doorway lintel at first-floor level. A rectangular slab (dims. min. L 0.77m; Wth 0.2m; T 0.18m) is decorated in low relief with a cross consisting of two broken circles, an expanded rectangular knop with round terminal and a cross-stem. (Bradley et al. 1986 vol. 3, 316-17) Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011

• KD011-004007 Habitation site
  Description

  Archaeological testing (Licence nos. 01E0206 and 01E0643: www.excavations.ie) in advance of the proposed development of adjoining sites at the Mall revealed medieval pottery including some sherds of both local/Dublin-type and Leinster cooking ware. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011

• KD011-004008 Wall monument
  Description

  In the N wall of the chancel arch in St Mary's Church (KD011-004003-). According to Bradley et al. (1986 vol. 3, 317), two rectangular plaques are set in an architectural frame. The upper stone (dims. H 0.58m; Wth 0.41m) bears the White and Moore coat of arms, while the lower stone (dims. H 0.44m; Wth 0.92m) bears a badly incised inscription, with the date 1664. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011

• KD011-004009 Graveslab
  Description

  Set into the floor of the chancel of St Mary's Church (KD011-004003-). According to Bradley et al. (1986 vol. 3, 317-18), a large rectangular limestone slab (dims. L 2.2m; Wth 1.12m) bears a Latin inscription incised in Roman capitals commemorating the death of Deborah Williams in 1697. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011

And 6 more.

Architectural heritage

No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands on this parcel.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

Ground and risks

Radon

At the centre of this parcel, about 1 in 20 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home

Landslides

The 1:50,000 map rates the landslide susceptibility here as low.

Terrain model

LiDAR of the Office of Public Works, flown in 2011, at 2 m: tile OPW_2969 (ZIP).

Flooding

The Office of Public Works publishes its flood maps on floodinfo.ie.

Radon Risk Map of Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency, and Landslide Susceptibility Classification, Geological Survey Ireland, both under CC BY 4.0. LiDAR: contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland & the Office of Public Works) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

Download this parcel as DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its neighbours and buildings, for a drawing program. GeoJSON, in WGS 84, suits a map, and KML opens in Google Earth.

Registered freehold land, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A parcel is the land of a title, not an address. The owner's name is in the Land Registry of Tailte Éireann: a copy of the folio can be ordered on landdirect.ie, for a fee.