Architect says Haughey adored Abbeville

Mr Charles Haughey adored Abbeville and the Kinsealy estate, the architect Mr Sam Stephenson said yesterday

Mr Charles Haughey adored Abbeville and the Kinsealy estate, the architect Mr Sam Stephenson said yesterday. Mr Stephenson did some work on the house when Mr Haughey bought it in 1969.

Yesterday, speaking on RTÉ radio, the architect said of Mr Haughey: "He adored the place, you could see when he was walking the land and he appreciated the heritage."

Mr Stephenson said he was surprised to hear the estate had been sold. "I'm sure Mr Haughey was reluctant to sell it but I wouldn't say it broke his heart, he's not that kind of man," he said.

Abbeville was originally remodelled by the renowned architect James Gandon around the turn of the 18th century.

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"The building remains very well restored and kept," Mr Stephenson said.

Describing the house, he said that it was outstanding. There were two or three main rooms.

They were in the classic style and although not on a grand scale, were impressive.

"One of the great things is that in one of the rooms, there is a little Irish bar which Mr Haughey created.

The counter he got from a bank which was knocked down in Belfast and he added various artefacts and it became a great meeting place for his friends," Mr Stephenson said. The house visually was unchanged, he added.

"I did some early work on the house when Mr Haughey bought it which must be 30 years ago," he said. Years ago there were not the restrictions that there are now on listed buildings.

Every alteration now had to be approved by heritage officers, he said.

Asked if it was a good thing, Mr Stephenson said it depended on the officers.

Generally speaking it was a good thing as some buildings had been savaged in the past but in this case Abbeville had been very well kept.

One drawback was that the restrictions did delay development on historic buildings

Mr Stephenson said he remembered attending dinner parties at Abbeville. One in particular was attended by about six people including the actors Micheál MacLiammoir and Hilton Edwards and also Terence de Vere White. MacLiammoir was usually the star of the evening but this time it was Hilton who took over the discussions and Micheál behaved like a child and said Hilton wouldn't stop talking.

"Mr Haughey was a major contributor to the discussion and liked talking about the theatre," Mr Stephenson said.