A former steam tram terminus in Kildare is now up for sale for €680k. This terminus, which once provided a notoriously risky service, has managed to outlive its dangerous past. In September 1920, Fr Maurice Brown embarked on a steam tram journey from Terenure to the Monavalla parish in Co Wicklow. Brown wrote about this trip, which left him shaken and rattled, as he disembarked near Russborough House and incredulously asked the driver, “Are people still often killed?” The driver’s response was, “No, Father, only once.”
There are stories that suggest the steam tram service from Terenure to Blessington and Poulaphouca, which operated from 1888 to 1932, was so accident-prone that the Templeogue Inn, located near the terminus, was nicknamed “The Morgue” due to the frequent tram-related fatalities brought there. The tram line initially ran to Blessington and was later extended to Poulaphouca. Reports from the time describe the tram suddenly appearing from around corners and colliding with pedestrians, carts, and other vehicles. It often derailed from its slim roadside rails and slid down hills in wet or icy conditions. In its second-to-last year of operation, it caused the death of a conductor who was thrown from the upper floor. There is even a photo from that time showing the front end of the tram buried in a shop building.
The tram depot was connected to the Rathfarnham Road and Templeogue Road, where the library stands today. The tram itself was a peculiar-looking vehicle, combining elements of a steam train and a bus. Initially, it was pulled or pushed by a small road running train engine, but later it began to resemble a chimney-topped tram. As the years went by, two-story passenger cars and a freight wagon were added. The tram transported various goods, including cattle, sheep, sand, gravel, stone, army supplies for Kilbride camp, mail, newspapers, and passengers. However, the introduction of a safer and more efficient bus service to Blessington in 1929 marked the slow demise of the dangerous steam tram. It made its final journey on December 31, 1932.
Despite its risks, the steam tram served as a welcomed escape for Dubliners seeking a cheap and accessible way to leave the smog and filth of Victorian and early 20th-century Dublin behind and explore the beautiful rural areas of Wicklow and Kildare. At the end of the line in Poulaphouca, the Tramway House provided a coal and water storage facility for the steam engine, served as accommodation for tram drivers and conductors, and operated as a popular tea room for day trippers.
Constructed in 1896 during the height of the Victorian Empire, the Tramway House features architecture reminiscent of a period railway station, with its impressive cut stone, patterned brick flourishes, and neo-Gothic roof lines and trim. Over the years, the building continued to operate as tea rooms, benefiting from the construction of the Poulaphouca hydroelectric dam in the 1930s and 1940s. Later, when interest in the dam waned, it became a private residence.
In 2006, Siobhan FitzGerald, a resident of Crumlin, read about the Tramway House in a property supplement and immediately fell in love with it. However, the price was beyond her budget. She went on vacation, but the house stayed on her mind. When she returned, she decided to go see it and made an offer, which was accepted. FitzGerald now commutes along the route of the old steam tram from her home in Crumlin to the Tramway House.
Situated on 1.2 acres of sloping gardens, the Tramway House offers a tranquil retreat with stunning views of the Liffey stream and abundant wildlife. The property features three raised decks, a gazebo, and easy access to recreational facilities such as Poulaphouca Pitch & Putt, Tulfarris House and Golf Resort, Russborough House and Park, and the Blessington Greenway Trail. The house itself boasts 2,475 sq ft of living space, including a double reception room, kitchen/dining room, bathroom, hallways, and five bedrooms. The master suite features a walk-in closet area and ensuite shower room. The Tramway House, with its rich history and picturesque setting, is perfect for a family seeking a spacious country home. Nugent Auctioneers is handling the sale of the property, with an asking price of €680,000.
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