When I visited Ireland, I could not find out much about Samuel Grubb, whose beehive-shaped grave is near the Vee overlooking the Golden Vein. His home was just listed for sale. I learned more about him and got to see photos of the inside of Castle Grace. I also found an article about his mills.
Grubb’s Grave overlooks the Golden Vale or Golden Vein.
When I visited Ireland, I saw beehive-shaped Grubb’s Grave on the side of R668, a road that runs along the Knockmealdown mountains. Samuel Grubb is supposed to be interred here standing up to overlook his lands.
I tried to find out something about Samuel Grubb and there wasn’t much. He was born September 26, 1855. He was a Quaker. He lived at Castlegrace (or Castle Grace). He was likely the same Samuel Grub that was a Justice of the Peace and High Sheriff. He has descendants in the United States.
The Castlegrace Estate of Samuel Grubb
I could find a picture of the house.
“Samuel Grubb purchased Castle Grace, Clogheen, county Tipperary in 1820… At the time of Griffith’s Valuation Richard and Samuel Grubb had extensive flour milling enterprises at Clogheen Market on lands held from Viscount Lismore.”
“Castlegrace has been the home of the Grubb family since the mid 19th century. Griffith’s Valuation indicates that it was then held from the Earl of Glengall and the house, offices and flour mill were valued at £122. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage dates the present house circa 1860 although a lithograph of a very similar building is included in the Glengall sale rental of November 1853 for Castlegrace. Lewis records in 1837 that an extensive flour mill had recently been built by Samuel Grubb of Clogheen. The buildings at Castlegrace were valued at £115 in 1906. This house is still a Grubb family home.”
http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/estate-show.jsp?id=2891
I was reading something completely different recently and saw a photo of a vaguely familiar looking house. I clicked through to an article by Gemma Tipton in The Irish Times online. Georgian estate with Norman castle, mill and film star credentials for €2.65m.
The Castlegrace Estate, Clogheen, Cahir, Co Tipperary
The Castlegrace Estate of Samuel Grubb is for sale. It is listed by Shelley and Purcell, Michael H Daniels.
Michael H Daniels’s website shows it as these three lots for sale.
The Castlegrace Estate, Clogheen, Cahir, Co Tipperary
For Sale Freehold by Private Treaty as a Whole or in Lots as Described:
- Lot 1: Castlegrace House with 31.74 Hectares (78.42 Acres)
- Lot 2: Lands comprising 16.88 Hectares (41.70 Acres)
- Lot 3: The Entire – 48.61 Hectares (120.1 Acres)
The Castlegrace Estate, Clogheen, Cahir, Co Tipperary
His site shows these photos of the house.
Set in the foothills of the Knockmealdown Mountains, and just over the Vee from Lismore, Castlegrace is one of those rare yet quintessentially Irish country estates.
Castlegrace Estate Orchards, Grounds and Medieval Castle Ruins
In the same family since the Georgian main house was built in the early 1800s, there is also the ruins of a Norman castle, a three-bedroom mill house, mill building with its own hydroelectrics, and an additional three-bed cottage which is in walk-in condition.
Set on 120 acres of pasture with orchards (yes, there is a cider press), Castlegrace has always earned its keep. The mill ground corn and wheat grown on the surrounding fertile soil. More recently the estate became the centre of Limousin cattle breeding in Ireland, according to Nicholas Grubb, descendent of the first Samuel Grubb, who originally leased the lands in 1800…
Ryan O’Neal had a fight under the 13th century castle’s wisteria hung walls
So atmospheric is the setting that when film-maker Stanley Kubrick happened upon it he immediately knew he had one of the sets for his famous 1975 film Barry Lyndon. Walk out through the gardens, past the paddocks, and along walks lined with champion trees, to see where Ryan O’Neal had a fight under the 13th century castle’s wisteria hung walls. There’s also a walled garden with ancient yew trees.
Castlegrace Estate Reception Hall
Castle Grace Dining Room
Castlegrace Drawing Room
The house itself has 650sq m (7,000sq ft) of accommodation, with graceful reception rooms, seven bedrooms, plus additional spaces to work with. The rooms have gorgeous proportions and are beautifully bright. Particularly lovely is the triple aspect drawing room.
It all needs upgrading and modernisation, but with a little love, and an injection of cash to add to the asking price of €2.65 million (through joint agents Shelley & Purcell and Michael H Daniels) this is a family seat to conjure with. There is also the option of buying in one of two lots: taking the house and 78.4 acres for €2million…
Castle Grace Mill
Mill House by Samuel Grubb’s Mill and Castlegrace
Samuel Grubb 5-Story Mill and Mill House
It’s been a few years since I was trying to find more about Samuel Grubb. Since then, Robert O’Byrne wrote an article about him and his mills on his blog The Irish Aesthete.
He discusses the Penal Laws and how they affected Presbyterians and Quakers as well as Catholics.
Robert O’Byrne quotes the 1837 Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, “An extensive flour-mill, employing from 30 to 40 persons, the erection of which is supposed to have cost £6000, has lately been built at Castle-Grace by Sam. Grubb, Esq., of Clogheen.”
The article also talks about corn mills. I don’t know if it is the same mill, but the article in the Irish Times says the same mill ground both. The mill Robert O’Byrne photographed is five stories tall. It was powered by water-wheels. It’s most likely the same mill that is for sale in these photos.
You can see his beautiful photos inside and outside Castle Grace mill on his blog: https://theirishaesthete.com/2017/07/10/castle-grace-mill/
Robert O’Byrne comes up a lot when you read about Leixlip Castle, the Guinness family and the Irish Georgian Society. I have a number of books he has written about Ireland. They are filled with beautiful photographs and very readably written.
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