The Clock Tower · Photo: DXR · CC BY-SA 4.0Enniskerry: 54 buildings on the National Inventory
Enniskerry has kept more old homes than most towns: 11% were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. Its oldest building dates from 1770. Inside the town, the Sites and Monuments Record lists 3 archaeological sites.
Enniskerry’s landmarks in 4 photos, with 1 old views
The old views of Enniskerry date from 1890. So far the camera has reached 3 of Enniskerry’s recorded places. You can start with The Clock Tower and The Old Forge.
The Old ForgeRegional rating (NIAH)
Saint Patrick's Church (Powerscourt)Regional rating (NIAH)
Powerscourt House (country house)International 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.
Enniskerry in old photos
1 old photograph, made before 1950.
1890From Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server: public domain, or from the National Library of Ireland’s collections (Lawrence, Poole, Eason and others) with no known copyright restrictions. Each credit opens the image’s page.
Where Enniskerry’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).
54 historic places in Enniskerry
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 29, A to Z
25 recorded by their type and address
25 are recorded only by their type and address: 24 homes and 1 other buildings; most date from the 19th century.
Church Hill has the most
Streets with three or more buildings on the record, by the address it gives.
Of the 54 records, 53 give a street address.
More homes than anything else in Enniskerry: 76%
All of Enniskerry’s recorded buildings carry a regional rating. The next biggest group is walls, gates and bridges, 2 in all. Among the highest-rated: Silver Vale House and Fountain View.
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Most of Enniskerry’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
3 of the 54 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Silver Vale House, from 1770.
Archaeology in Enniskerry
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
3 archaeological sites 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.
| Mound1 record |
| Barrow - ring-barrow1 record |
| Enclosure1 record |
Just outside Enniskerry: 11
| Powerscourt House (country house)International rating (NIAH) · 700 m outside the town |
| Phrompstown HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 400 m outside the town |
| Charleville House (country house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
| Powerscourt House (farmyard complex)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1 km outside the town |
| Charleville House (gate lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 700 m outside the town |
| KnockmoreRegional rating (NIAH) · 600 m outside the town |
| Ballyman House (farm house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 900 m outside the town |
| Ballyman House (gate lodge)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1 km outside the town |
| Scalp FarmRegional rating (NIAH) · 500 m outside the town |
| Saint Patrick's Catholic ChurchRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.5 km outside the town |
| Powerscourt House (shop / retail outlet)Regional rating (NIAH) · 900 m outside the town |
New homes stand out in Enniskerry: 8.8% built since 2011, where most towns have 5.8%
Of the homes in Enniskerry now, the larger half dates from before 2001. In most towns 25% of homes were built in the 2000s; in Enniskerry only 8%. The largest single period is from 1981 to 2000, with 40% of Enniskerry’s homes.
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.
3 notable people born in Enniskerry before 1900
From John Buckley (1863) to Ina Boyle (1889): their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
Everyone born in Enniskerry → Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s English Wikipedia article; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Enniskerry and its neighbours
| Town | People | National Inventory | National | Archaeological sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enniskerry | 2,000 | 54 | 0 | 3 |
| Kilmacanogue | 1,240 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Bray | 33,512 | 318 | 0 | 39 |
| Shankill | 11,009 | 72 | 1 | 61 |
| Cabinteely | 15,864 | 31 | 1 | 66 |
| Killiney | 9,776 | 11 | 0 | 18 |
| Stepaside | 22,796 | 49 | 1 | 47 |
Enniskerry in brief
Old houses are part of Enniskerry’s character: 11% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. All told, the list holds 54 places on the record. Church Hill alone has 15 places on the record. Most entries on the list, 76%, are homes.
Of the 54 with a date, 48 come from the 19th century. The oldest is Silver Vale House, from 1770. Ina Boyle (1889), John Buckley (1863) and George Charlemont (1873) were all born here before 1900. Beyond that, it also has 3 archaeological sites.
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 Enniskerry’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Enniskerry?
54 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Enniskerry?
Silver Vale House: the first date on its record is 1770.
Are there archaeological sites in Enniskerry?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 3 archaeological sites inside Enniskerry.
How old are the homes in Enniskerry?
11% 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.
This page describes its history; it gives no grade.
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 and English Wikipedia for people born here · 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).