Oldtown Hall · Photo: Jonjobaker · CC BY-SA 4.0Oldtown: 7 buildings on the National Inventory
History in Oldtown goes back at least to 1840, the date of its oldest recorded building. Inside the town, the Sites and Monuments Record lists 1 archaeological site. 6.6% of its homes date from before 1919; the typical town has 3.4%.
Oldtown in 4 photos
Among them: Oldtown Hall and Catholic Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace. There are photos of 3 of Oldtown’s recorded places so far. Oldtown Hall, dated 1870, is the oldest pictured in Oldtown.
Catholic Church of Our Lady Queen of PeaceRegional rating (NIAH)
Bridge, OldtownRegional rating (NIAH)
Saint Mary's Church (Clonmethan)Regional rating (NIAH)+1See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the place’s page. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Where Oldtown’s history is
Every building and site on the record inside the town, by its rating.
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage is the State’s survey of buildings from 1700 to today, county by county; each record gives a rating, dates, a type and an appraisal. Being on it is not legal protection: that is each council’s Record of Protected Structures.
Points from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and the Sites and Monuments Record, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0).
7 historic places in Oldtown
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
Reg
Reg
RegThe record in and around Oldtown: homes first, at 52%
In and around Oldtown, the earliest date on the record is 1600. The second-largest group on the record is churches and chapels, with 4. Among the highest-rated: Wyanstown House and Rowlestown House.
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped, for the records inside the town and those just outside it that belong to it; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Most of Oldtown’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
The oldest is Oldtown House, from 1840.
Archaeology in Oldtown
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
1 archaeological site inside the town
Sites on the Record of Monuments and Places, the statutory list drawn from this record, are protected by law: anyone planning work at or near one must give the National Monuments Service two months’ notice.
| Earthwork1 record |
Just outside Oldtown: 14
| Wyanstown HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
| Rowlestown HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.8 km outside the town |
| Clonmethan GlebeRegional rating (NIAH) · 400 m outside the town |
| Saint Mary's Church (Clonmethan)Regional rating (NIAH) · 400 m outside the town |
| Springhill HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 3 km outside the town |
| Cottrelstown HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
| Jordanstown HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.1 km outside the town |
| Trallie HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.8 km outside the town |
| Graveyard, WestpalstownRegional rating (NIAH) · 1 km outside the town |
| Graveyard, GrallaghRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.3 km outside the town |
| Farm house, GrallaghRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.6 km outside the town |
| Farm house, Rowlestown WestRegional rating (NIAH) · 3 km outside the town |
| Post box, GrallaghRegional rating (NIAH) · 3 km outside the town |
| Post box, Glebe (Ba. W By.) Clonmethan EdRegional rating (NIAH) · 400 m outside the town |
Oldtown grew fastest in the 2000s, when 45% of its homes were built
Building from 1946 to 1980 left Oldtown with 13% of its homes, below the usual 24%. Few of Oldtown’s homes date between the wars: 0.7%, the norm 3.9%. From 2011 on, Oldtown built 7.2% of its homes, near the typical 5.8%.
Census 2022, households by the year their home was built (CSO, Small Area Population Statistics, CC BY 4.0); the typical town is the middle Irish town of 2,500 or more.
Oldtown and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oldtown | 523 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| Ashbourne | 15,680 | 2 | 0 | 35 |
| Swords | 40,776 | 36 | 1 | 43 |
| Ratoath | 10,077 | 12 | 0 | 26 |
| Lusk | 8,806 | 14 | 1 | 30 |
| Balrothery | 2,282 | 3 | 1 | 30 |
| Kinsealy-Drinan | 7,526 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Oldtown in brief
More of Oldtown’s homes are old than in most places: 6.6% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. In all there are 7 places on the record. Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 6 of 7. The oldest, Oldtown House, dates from 1840. Otherwise the figures are ordinary: it also has an archaeological site.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The National Inventory. The State’s survey of post-1700 buildings, made county by county since 1990 (NIAH); a few records are older. It records; it does not protect.
- Ratings. International and National: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Regional: in its region. Local and record-only buildings get no page here.
- Archaeology. The Sites and Monuments Record (National Monuments Service) lists known archaeological sites; the national monuments to visit and the sites with an encyclopedia article get pages here.
- Protection. Both registers are surveys, not protection: a building is protected by its council’s Record of Protected Structures, and no national open list joins the 31 councils’ records.
- The grade. Ireland’s History grade is not built yet: the page describes, and gives no grade.
Questions about Oldtown’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Oldtown?
7 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Oldtown?
Oldtown House: the first date on its record is 1840.
Are there archaeological sites in Oldtown?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 1 archaeological site inside Oldtown.
How old are the homes in Oldtown?
6.6% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town.
Are the buildings on this page protected?
Being on the National Inventory or the Sites and Monuments Record is a record, not protection by itself: buildings are protected by their council’s Record of Protected Structures, which each council keeps and no national open list gathers, so this page can’t say which are on it.
History is described here, not graded.
Source: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and Sites and Monuments Record, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0); Wikidata (CC0).
Sources: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (buildingsofireland.ie) · Sites and Monuments Record and the National Monuments Service’s monuments to visit · CSO Census 2022 (homes by the year built) · Photos: Wikimedia Commons, including the National Library of Ireland’s collections, each credited with its licence and copied to our own server · Wikidata (CC0) for other names and articles. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).