The Irish Georgian Society is dismayed at the destruction by fire of Vernon Mount, Co. Cork, a Georgian architectural gem.

Vernon Mount is a protected structure of national importance whose endangerment has long been recognised by local, national and international organisations. Its destruction by fire will have a enormous impact on the architectural heritage of the country as a whole and will be felt in particular by the local community which has championed its cause.

Vernon Mount stood as possibly the finest surviving example in Ireland of a Georgian classical villa on the outskirts of a major city. Its significance was further enhanced by the presence of exceptional neo-Classical paintings of mythological subjects by Cork artist, Nathaniel Grogan, which sadly are now lost forever.

The fire and loss of Vernon Mount in the face of efforts by a wide range of interest groups (including the Irish Georgian Society, the Grange Frankfield Partnership, and the World Monuments Fund) should now demand that a more effective means of protecting our most important and most vulnerable historic buildings is established. The Government must play a central role in this review and reverse the continued lack of financial support for built heritage and fully address the lack of implementation of existing legislation. The Irish Georgian Society will play a pro-active role in campaigning to ensure this is achieved so as to prevent the avoidable diminution of our built heritage.

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The ceiling murals painted by Cork artist Nathaniel Grogan are now believed to be lost

Irish Georgian Society campaign to save Vernon Mount, 2007

More information on Vernon Mount can be found via this link on the Irish Georgian Society's Buildings at Risk Register.