King House

King House.
King House is a Roscommon County Council owned, 18th. century mansion which has been rescued from dereliction and restored to some vestige of its former glory. Built on land once owned by the McDermott Clan, the house was built around 1730 by Sir Henry King, the fourth generation of the King family in Boyle. "The Kings of King House" by Anthony Lawrence King-Harman. 1996. Brochure for art exhibition by Anne S. King-Harman at The Ritchie Hendriks Gallery, Dublin in July 1966. After the Kings moved to Rockingham Estate (now Boyle Forest Park) the house was sold to the British army and was used as a base for the Connaught Rangers from 1788 to 1922. After the foundation of the Free State the house was home to the Irish Defence Forces. The Connaught Rangers in India (© Roscommon Historical Research) The Defence Forces Reserve has been stationed in King House since 1959. The house was bought by Roscommon County Council in 1989 and after many years of restoration it now houses a number of displays showing the history of the Boyle region over the ages. Collections include "The Kingdom of Connacht", an audio-visual story of the McDermotts, who once ruled the area and "The Chronicles of Kings", the story of the King family and their involvement in the area from 1603 to 1957. "The House of Kings" is the story of the construction and restoration of King House. "The Fighting Men From Connaught" is the story of The Connaught Rangers who recruited in Co. Roscommon and who fought throughout the world. The house is also home to Boyle Civic Art Collection. Boyle Civic Collection booklet. (Available from King House). The purpose of King House is "Explore, Entertain, Educate ..." and to this end there are regular events taking place, for adults and for children. King House is also the location for art exhibitions and public events such as book launches. It holds a regular book fair where you can pick up books from Co. Roscommon and further afield. King House Guide Book. (2007) In 2008 King House produced a set of postcards, to view, please follow this link: King House Postcards. For further details, information and times, King House can be contacted at; www.kinghouse.ie "Rockingham - Memories of a vanished mansion" by John Clapison & Tríona Mullaney-Dignam. 2007

Disclaimer etc: This page has been designed and produced as an aid to those who are interested in researching Roscommon family history, house history and local history and anyone interested in the history of design. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, Roscommon Historical Research or it’s agents cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions that occur on this site. Publishers and editors who do not wish to have their publication featured on this site, please contact us and we will remove the reference. Publishers and organisations who would like a link to their site please let us know and we will organise the link directly from the publication reference. Roscommon Historical Research cannot be held liable for any loss or damage that occurs from the use of information on this site by others. The information contained here is © Copyright, either to the individual producer of the product or to Roscommon Historical Research and may not be used without written permission. Webmasters, please ensure that all links to our site are via the splash page – links directly to the database are not allowed. If you have any queries please contact the webmaster.