About Bective House

A Short Story of Bective House

Bective House is in an understated architectural style in the spirit of Francis Johnston. Bective house is surrounded by a wide expanse of parkland, dotted with clumps of trees. The plantation of these trees and creation of parkland led to the walling in of the demesne and the re-routing of the Trim Navan road. Most of these trees are still standing today. Impressive ashlar gateways were erected at each entrance to the estate with gate lodges at each end and an additional number of houses to cater for workers on the estate. The gate lodge at the Trim entrance was erected in 1852 and is adorned by the Bolton crest. A walled garden was constructed near the house which provided produce for the family and household. Later the garden produced roses and vegetables for sale.

Over the centuries the house has had many owners and the house has been a local gem that employed many families within the surrounds of the Bective Area. One of the employees was the father of the famous writer Mary Lavin. In 1923 Charles Sumner Bird bought Bective House and appointed Tom Lavin, father of the famous writer Mary Lavin, as his estate manager. It is believed Mary Lavin’s first collection of short stories ‘Tales from Bective Bridge ‘ (1942) was inspired here.

Sadly, Bective House, due to the numerous exchanges of hands, and being repossessed by a bank, fell into disrepair and was left for ruin for well over a decade. In 2016 the house was bought by the Moran’s who fell in love with the Estate at first sight and Bective House was bought on a whim of excitement. Even with its ruined state and unkept grounds, the place oozed potential and then had a very rich history that epitomised the 19th-century lifestyle. The Estate still had the remnants of what was once a beautiful place.

Since 2016 we have tried to bring the place back to its former glory and beauty again. A new project began to restore the courtyard stables into modern accommodation with self-catering facilities. The original stables were refurbished and developed into an Equestrian Centre and Bective Stud was born. Today the stables are proud to house some of Ireland’s most famous thoroughbred racehorses as residents.

The future of Bective House is to restore the period house and build a Five Star Hotel. This project will see the old building being joined by a new extension. In addition our new Coffee/Tea Rooms opened in April 2022!