Mallow

The Clock House was build c. 1855, by Sir Denham Orlando Jephson. He was an amateur architect who is said to have designed this house after he had returned from an alpine holiday. The Clock was brought from the tower of the Old Mallow Castle. The bell was cast at Millerd St., Cork. The Clock House is a fine example of a half-timbered Tudor construction. The bell tower became dangerous and was removed c. 1970. The discovery in 1724 of the curative powers of its Spa made Mallow one of the chief holiday resorts in Ireland for the years 1730 - 1810, a period during which 'the Grattans and Ned Lysaghts' of the day proffered snuff boxes, sat at card tables and danced minuets in the evening after drinking the waters. The water has a mean temperature of 72 Fahrenheit and varies from 72 to 66 according to the season. The clear spring water was considered, in the opinion of eminent medical men, as a blood purifier of no mean quality. The curative season began in April and lasted to October, the general routine being that valetudinarians took the water before breakfast and between mid-day and 5p.m. Not unnaturally, the people of Mallow, finding so unexpected a source of emolument in their midst, began to model themselves on the inhabitants of Bath, to circulate rumours of cures. Among the more popular enticements was a new ballad on the hot well of Mallow, published 1753, the tenor of which may be gauged for yourself. The suppression of the Desmond Rebellion in 1581 marked the end of the old Gaelic Rule in the south of Ireland. In 1584 Sir John Norreys, Lord President of Munster, established his headquarters at Mallow. St. Anne's, the old Parish Church of Mallow, now in a ruined state, then passed to the Reformed Church. Through the following centuries, the Roman Catholic population attended Mass in various humble locations around the town. The best known of these was the thatched Mass-house on the side street known as Chapel Lane. When this Mass-house was demolished in 1940-41 a small silver Chalice and accompanying Paten were found concealed in a wall cavity. The Chalice is of Spanish design and craftsmanship. It bears the date 1680 and the inscription "Ora Pro P.N.M.". There is an altar stone inset in its base. The Chalice and Paten are still used on special occasions in St. Mary's Church
St. James Church is situated off the Main Street overlooking the town park and the River Blackwater. Mallow's Church of Ireland is a typical example of an early 19th century building. The design is Gothic and is a limestone construction with cut stone buttressed corners and painted arched doors and windows. The Church was built on land provided by the Jephson family of Mallow Castle. It is adjacent to the old St. Anne's Church and graveyard. Its impressive spire is a focal point over a wide area. Though not in the more usual cruciform design, its regular shape is an imposing structure. Internally the Gothic style is evident. Its pointed arched roof structure and stained glass windows dominate. The dimensions of the Church are: length 120ft., width 50ft., height to eve 23ft., to apex 35ft., spire 120ft.