Waterville () is a housing development near

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

city, within

Fingal Fingal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three successor counties to County Dublin, which ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The development was built between 2002 and 2008 as well as between 2013 and 2016 (Brandon Square and Rossan Court) on the edge of the

Abbotstown Abbotstown () is a townland in the civil parish of Castleknock in Fingal, Ireland. It is also the name of an historical demesne and country estate that is close to Blanchardstown. Historically the estate belonged to a number of aristocratic famil ...

demense, close to

Blanchardstown Blanchardstown () is a large outer suburb of Dublin in the modern Counties of Ireland, county of Fingal, Ireland. Located northwest of Dublin city centre, it has developed since the 1960s from a small village to a point where Greater Blanchards ...

village. The development lies within the

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

of Deanestown in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Castleknock Castleknock () is an affluent village in County Dublin, Ireland, located west of the centre of Dublin city. It is in the modern county of Fingal. In addition to the village, the name "Castleknock" also refers to older units of land division: a ...

History

The area was developed by Granbrind Ltd on land acquired from the Eastern Health Board. The land was previously owned successively by the Barons of Castleknock,

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

s of Abbotstown and the barons HolmPatrick. These lands formed the principal seat in the civil parish which was part of the

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

. Waterville is located on the southern edge of Abbotstown Demense which remained in the ownership of the Tyrell family until about 1400 when Thomas Sergent and his wife Joan Tyrell, sister to the last Tyrell Baron of

, were in residence. By the 17th century, they had passed to the Sir John Dungan who owned one thatched house, several cottages and an old church at Abbotstown. Later, the lands at Abbotstown were owned by the Clements family, ancestors to the Earls of Leitrim. Among the families to live on the lands at Waterville was the Falkiner family, ennobled as "Baronets of Abbotstown" in 1812. The Falkiners married into the Hamilton family who had lands in the neighbouring townland of Sheephill. In 1832, both estates were amalgamated by the Hamiltons and a new residence, Abbotstown House, was built as the family seat. Abbottstown house

Ion Trant Hamilton was ennobled by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

as Baron HolmPatrick. Abbotstown House remained the seat of the barons until 1947 when James Hans Hamilton, 3rd Baron HolmPatrick (1928–1991), lost part of his lands under a Compulsory Purchase Order to allow for the building of James Connolly Memorial Hospital. Later, Lord HolmPatrick sold the remaining lands at Abbotstown and Sheephill to the Marine Institute of Ireland. The institute was located at Abbotstown House until 2005 when the house was acquired for the

National Sports Campus The National Sports Campus ()- (sometimes known as Sports Campus Ireland, Sport Ireland Campus or Irish Sport HQ) is a large site in the western suburbs of Dublin, Ireland, which contains a number of sporting facilities. It is operated by the Na ...

. In the late 1990s half of the lands under the ownership of the health board were sold for development in order to finance the redevelopment of the hospital buildings.

Location and name

The development of 1500 homes at Deanestown and Sheephill was called ''Waterville'' due to its proximity to the

River Tolka The River Tolka (; , "the flood"), also once spelled ''Tolga'', is one of Dublin's three main rivers, flowing from County Meath to Fingal within the old County Dublin, and through the north of Dublin city, Ireland (the other main rivers are t ...

. Waterville lies on the northern banks of the Tolka, covering about 50 acres of land. It is bordered to the south by the Navan Road (N3), to the west by the Snugborough Road (R843), to the north by the playing fields of the National Sports Campus and to the east by Connolly Hospital in the townland of Abbotstown. Waterville is approx. 9 km from the centre of

city and 2.5 km from

Castleknock railway station Castleknock is a railway station that serves the suburban centres of Castleknock and Blanchardstown in Fingal, Ireland. It lies on the Dublin to Longford commuter route and is served by Western Commuter services from Pearse Station to and ...

.Comhairle Contae Fhine Gall, Minutes of Council Meeting CMB/62/06 WATERVILLE PARK 2 March 2006. Each area within Waterville is privately owned and managed, and each is named after an Irish coastal promontory or island. Many of the developments in Waterville were built around a central green, while the overall development was built in an integrated fashion merging with the established forestry and parklands. Waterville also has a 25-acre park called Waterville Park where there is a lake with swans and ducks. The lake also has an Island in it and another lake above it. The park also has a playground. Waterville also has a shop and a creche.

Access and public transport

Situated adjacent to the N3 and the M50, Waterville is nine kilometres from the city centre. It is connected to the M3 by a link road. Public transport services include the following bus routes:- 38, 38a, 38b, 39, 39a, 70, 76a, 220, 238, and 239.

is the nearest train station.

References

External links

Waterville - Developer's Website
(archived 2013)

* ttps://www.independent.ie/life/home-garden/homes/waterville-is-making-big-splash-from-210000-26520532.html Big Splash - Independent article from 13 March 2009
First phase of mixed units in former hospital grounds from £133,000 Irish Times article from 22 March 2001
{{Dublin residential areas Places in Fingal Blanchardstown