Abstract
Newbridge House, in north County Dublin, was built in 1747 by Archbishop of Dublin, Charles Cobbe to designs by prominent architect James Gibbs. Having arrived in Ireland in 1717, acquiring land and ecclesiastical promotion, Cobbe settled in north Dublin and built a house in the Palladian vision for his family. In 1755 his heir and sole surviving son Thomas married Lady Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Beresford, daughter of the 1st earl of Tyrone. Together Thomas and Lady Betty assembled an art collection at Newbridge, extending the house for that purpose. Included in that extension were more bedrooms, but, importantly here, increased servants’ quarters, including a large modern kitchen. Continually lived in by their descendants over the following centuries, Newbridge’s collection of artwork, furniture, and family chattels remains intact unlike so many Irish country houses. Threading the objects with the past lives and revealing countless stories is the exceptional family archive preserved in the house. Newbridge was sold in 1985 to Dublin County Council (now Fingal) and a unique arrangement was made enabling the house, albeit in public ownership, to retain private living quarters for the Cobbe family. Importantly, this continuing arrangement preserves the original collection and archives in situ at Newbridge House. As will be shown here, new research and recent acquisitions—particularly the Cobbe recipe book 1806–1838—combine to reveal a detailed culinary narrative of one of Ireland’s surviving country houses.
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Recommended Citation
Dowd Smith, Cathal
(2025)
"“Add what you think proper”: Exploring the Culinary Narrative of Newbridge House through the Cobbe Recipe Book (1806–1838) and Archive,"
European Journal of Food Drink and Society:
Vol. 5:
Iss.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ejfds/vol5/iss1/6