The Fire at Powerscourt House, 4th November 1974
The Fire at Powerscourt House, 4th November 1974
"Beautiful Autumn day and I went to lunch at Powerscourt with about 80 other guests. The redecoration of the main rooms had just been completed and Mr and Mrs Slazenger were delighted at being able to show off the final result of weeks of work.
I left at about 4.00pm and later that evening went with my parents to an Army Benevolent Fund function in McKee barracks. We got home around midnight. The telephone woke me - it was Mae Clarke, the wife of the Estate Manager, to tell me that Powerscourt House was ablaze and would I ring the fire brigade. I immediately rang Dun Laoghaire fire brigade and was told that Bray and Greystones were dealing with it. When I said that Bray and Greystones were voluntary fire brigades I was informed that Enniskerry was outside the area for Dun Laoghaire.
I was straightaway dressed and went to Powerscourt hoping and hoping that maybe it was not so serious. On reaching halfway up the avenue I could see the sky was red and realised the worst had happened. It was horrendous. I went around to the back of the West Wing where everyone living on the Estate was busy doing what they could - a tractor with a trailer was paked outside the back door to the Glazed Court and it was being filled with whatever could be salvaged. I remember Michael Caplice, then Head Gardener, getting a narrow pole and prising a very large painting off the wall in the Dining Room.
The local fire brigade had arrived at this stage along with the Civil Defence. Powerscourt was well supplied with fire hydrants but time was wasted when the Chief Fire Officer went off and got lost in the Gardens instead of asking one of the staff for directions. The Civil Defence were excellent and were responsible for saving the East Wing. There was quite a strong breeze that night and the fire had taken quite a hold. I can vividly recall going into the dining room from the kitchen entrance and watching the ceiling bubbling as a result of the water coming from above thro' the flames and causing the eventual collapse of the ceiling.
I then remembered the collection of Meissen china in the East Wing Hall. The East Wing and West Wing were connected by underground passages with cellars and I had always intended going down to see them. What a time I picked! I found Ralph Slazenger and Tom Clarke, the Estate Manager and off we went down the West Wing steps with a torch - the electricity was well gone at this stage. We came up the steps to the door leading out to the gardens but through lack of use it was jammed. Ralph Slazenger and Tom Clarke then went off to try and force the door from outside and left me in darkness! I could see and hear the fire above me and in what seemed like 5 years but was in actual fact only 5 minutes they managed to force open the door and we saved all the china - chipping one piece! The damage to the house and contents was severe.
I spent days sorting out the salvage and labelling tea chests as to their contents. It was not a chore I enjoyed. 90% of the contents were destoyed along with the whole central block of the house - a house that stood since 1730 was destoyed in four hours.
Powerscourt was not mine - I was only one of the staff - but the loss was a tremendous shock to me so much so that I lost my voice the next day. It was a beautiful house and the destruction was a huge loss to not only the Slazenger family but to the nation.
I was privileged to have worked there."
Ailbhe de Buitlear
October 2011
Ailbhe de Buitlear (centre) with Queen Margrethe of Denmark (right) and Michael O Kennedy (left) the then Minister for Foreign Affairs.
The Aftermath of the Fire at Powerscourt House
