Rothe House, Medieval merchant townhouse in Kilkenny, Ireland
Rothe House is a complex of three limestone merchant houses built in the English Renaissance style, arranged one behind the other with three enclosed courtyards and a half-acre garden. The first house (1594) has a grey rubble facade with three stone arches, mullioned windows and a projecting oriel window; the second (1604) and third (1610) follow in sequence. The garden was laid out after 1601 with a vegetable plot and orchard.
John Rothe Fitz-Piers built the first house in 1594, the second in 1604 and the third in 1610, each dated by a carved coat-of-arms or the cistern house. The house was confiscated after Charles I's defeat because of the family's role in the Confederation of Kilkenny, returned after the Restoration, then lost again after the Battle of the Boyne. The Kilkenny Archaeological Society bought it in 1962.
The house displays crafts and everyday objects from different periods of Kilkenny's history. The rooms show how merchants and their families lived and worked in this city.
The residence welcomes visitors most days, offering both guided tours and independent exploration. The compact layout requires careful movement and patience when navigating between different floor levels.
The garden has been recreated with period plants and herbs, alongside an old well originally dug by monks. This outdoor space provides a calm contrast to the tight rooms inside the house.
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