Surprisingly little has been published about the sublime Irish country house that is Townley Hall in Co.Louth, or on the Townley Balfour family who lived there for many generations, or its reknowned architect, Francis Johnston.  

Given that the narrative on such historical buildings typically ends at the time of construction Robert was asked to write an additional chapter on the house from the time of its completion in the 1790’s up to its acquisition by Trinity College in the 1957. The background to Trinity’s involvement captures the zeitgeist that was Ireland in the 1950’s.

This 280-page, large-format, clothbound hardback book, with over 760 illustrations - with its unparalleled coverage of a sublime Irish country house and the work of its architect, Francis Johnston - is destined to become a collector's item.