We bought Riverbank House in May 2015 from an English couple who had owned it for about 20 years.  Prior to this the house has had a very varied history, it has been merchants house, a bar, a restaurant and a guest house.

Within the grounds, about 100ft above sea level ,is an Iron Age cliff fort, one of only three in Ireland.

The house itself was originally built in 1840 by Robert  Edwardes, at a cost of £1500, on land that was leased from a Protestant landlord, Mr Roland Frewin.  Robert Edwardes was a coal merchant, based out of the local town of Bandon (now currently the Bank of Ireland branch of that town).  His main franchise was the supply of coal to the West Cork Railway Company.

Robert Edwardes business flourished, and he employed many local people throughout West Cork.  However, when the famine struck, he became a very poor man and in 1870, his landlord sued him for back rent.  Robert would have been evicted, but due to the support that he had provided to local people in the past, there was a great deal of protest, and his eviction was repealed.

After World War 2, retired pilot Flt Lt George Allison bought the house and renamed the house to Riverbank House (previously Cliffort (or Clifford) House).   Lt Allison was also Arthur Guinness’ personal pilot - and rumour has it he was also Churchill's.  Having turned the house into a guest house, Flt Lt Allison would catch salmon and trout in the river to feed his guests.

After George Allison, the house was bought by Mr John Dornan who turned it into a high quality inn and restaurant (in fact the first place in the area to have a one armed bandit - a lovely brass item, which is still in private ownership in the local area).  The house was sold again, and continued business as a successful bed and breakfast  until it was bought by Mr and Mrs Stuckey in 1994. 

The Stuckey’s had sailed to Ireland as part of a longer voyage, but having moored up alongside the house, they decided to weigh anchor, buy the house and stay on for the next 22 years!    They renovated the quayside and put in a slipway, making the river available for use as a mooring, which they used for their own yacht.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that we are the lucky owners of Riverbank House, we are now in the process of restoring it to it’s former glories - rebuilding the chimneys, replacing the roof, the front stairs and putting the rooms back in their original configuration.  We are having a wonderful time doing all this work, and can’t wait to share the end result with our lovely guests!