The Granary at Newbrook House
The Story of Newbrook House, Built in 1670
It began one summer when we were back in Ireland looking for somewhere to rest. Previous trips had been the usual whirlwind of seeing the sights and doing too much in too little time. This visit was different. We wanted somewhere tranquil and comfortable where body and mind could slowly come back into balance. We could not find it. So we decided that when the time was right, we would return and create it ourselves. An un-destination.
A refuge for the heart. Several years later we happened upon Newbrook House, its grace and charm intact despite every stone needing attention. The restoration took years, and the story of it could fill a book. In fact it is filling one, some of which you can read on our blog.
Newbrook was one of the Clanmorris estates, home to the Bingham family, who owned over 18,000 acres across Mayo and Galway. The title Baron Clanmorris was created in 1800 for John Bingham, the founder of Newbrook, and the Binghams were ancestors of the Earls of Lucan. The granary was built in 1670 to serve the estate.
In 1837 the manor house, described in its day as an elegant and delightful seat, burnt to the ground and was never rebuilt. Several walls of the original house still stand, as do the yard buildings, among them the granary that guests stay in today. The property sits at the end of a secluded boreen off the village road, sheltered by the ancient stone walled garden of Lord Bingham’s manor.
We think of the house as an ever evolving story, and with each guest the narrative continues. Many of our guests come tracing their own Irish roots, and there is something fitting about sleeping within walls that have watched over this corner of Mayo for three and a half centuries. We would be delighted to welcome you into the story. Being, not doing, at The Granary at Newbrook House.
