The Art Deco “Cult” House

Located between two large towns in Ireland, is a little nondescript hamlet filled with traditional Irish homes, a graveyard, and several working farms.

Bungalows and detached homes dot the landscape but hidden away in the heart of this community amongst overgrown foliage are two signs hanging on green metal sheeting stating, “BUILDING IN PROGRESS ENTRY PROHIBITED”.

Behind these overgrown trees and bushes, an abandoned Art Deco style mansion stands, a forgotten vanity project of a bygone era. It’s striking curves and brutal exposed concrete stand in sharp contrast to the traditional homes that surround it.

On a first glance down the long driveway and garden, most people would assume this building is an incomplete folly or vanity project, but on closer inspection, you can see there’s a lot more to this building than first meets the eye!

Walking across the double ponds at the entrance, you enter a room with a seemingly normal appearance with a piano is perched in a corner with an unusually shaped window above it. Behind you, there is a fireplace in the shape of a vulva surrounded by 3 more vulva shaped windows.

In another corner of the room, there is a mesh wire art installation. Our interpretation of it is four deer watching on as humans slowly appear from the ground.

At the end of this room there are two sets of steps. One going to the roof and one leading to a long tunnel underground that loops around the property. The steps leading upstairs take you to another room with another vulva fireplace and even more vulva shaped windows. There is at least four of these fireplaces in the building. The rest of the building has many references to the female anatomy in its semi-complete state.

Locals have said that construction on the property started in the 1980s and stopped over ten years ago due to the site not having the any planning permission. Unused construction material still exists on the site today.

As this house has so many unusual features and art inside it, many rumours and speculation exist about this complex and its owner. Theories online include that this building it is a temple used for rebirthing rituals. This theory branches from the unique building’s curves, which allow you to flow from one section to the next, until all elements of the ritual are complete before emerging out of the water at the front of the property onto land.

Locals refer to the building as the “Cult House” and some even mention seeing a man donning a white cloak enter the site on a semi regular basis. Someone is at least maintaining the grass as it was recently cut on our visit.

There are even reports of a child being murdered and buried on this site, but while researching this Art Deco mansion we didn’t find any evidence to corroborate this. A 17-year-old boy was stabbed 28 times in nearby field in 2017 in which was what a gangland related incident.

Not everyone has spoken negatively about the complex though, with residents from nearby towns saying that it is a celebration of the female form and female sexuality.

Due to the overemphasised design of the vulvas, we initially thought the house was a nod to Sheela na gigs. Sheela na gig is a term used to describe a type of carving or statue that typically depicts a naked woman who is displaying her genitalia. They are primarily found on the exteriors of medieval Irish churches and castles and are thought to have been used as a symbol for fertility and protection. The exact purpose of these carvings is unclear, and they have been the subject of much debate and interpretation over the years. They are believed to date from the 10^th to the 17^th century, but this complex only ever references the vulva and not the woman as well.

These days, nature has started to reclaim the building and site with bushes starting to cover the entrance to what is now known as the “Vagina House” in the urbex community.

Normally we end these reports by saying we hope this mansion is restored to its former beauty, but we don’t think this had any to begin with! If it ever does go on the market, we would love to see the estate agent listing!