History of Williamsferry House Bed & Breakfast
4 Generations of the The Whitehead family pictured in 1912 outside the Porch
Built in 1839 by Captain Fintan Lawlor, Williamsferry was one of 6 places of worship in the town of Nenagh serving as an independent chapel during the 19th Century. By the early 1870′s it served as a Savings Bank and in 1909 it served as a residence to the Whitehead family when they decided to make Williamsferry their home for almost 30 years (picture above taken in 1912). From the house they operated their own locomotive engineering business which provided the railway tracks for the local railway line.
From the early 1940′s other families made Williamsferry their home and these include in (1941) John Alley and family, (1947) George McCutcheon, (1950) Kathleen Atkinson, (1967).
In Oct 1967 Williamsferry changed ownership once more and became home to Fred & Ann Valette and Family. It changed again in June 1992 when Mary (nee Valette) with her husband Brian Devine and family decided to acquire the premises and make it their home.
About Us
For almost 20 years now, Brian and Mary Devine have been welcoming guests to stay in their home.
In 1967 Fred & Ann Valette and Family (Mary’s parents) moved to Williamsferry and commenced a journey of restoring the house and shortly after they opened their doors in 1968 to guests for the first time. Ann, with a background in hotel management, felt very much at home as she invited guests to stay in their home. Here she offered accommodation and meals and over the years some of those guests became very good friends. Fred was the local Supermarket Manager in Nenagh with L&N Supermarket chain and his work was very involved with providing good and friendly customer service which he also extended to the people he met through their own business at Williamsferry.
They continued to invite guests into their family accommodation and provided a great service with friendly hospitality to many for the next 21 years until they retired.
Over those early years their daughter Mary had many good memories of what it was like growing up in a family home where guests came to stay thoughout the year. The family members as they grew up were assigned to help out with chores whenever possible which helped with the smooth running of the business. In 1979 Mary moved away from Nenagh but in 1992 Mary returned with her husband Brian and their son Paul and daughter Louise and re-located back to Nenagh and made Williamsferry their home. They acquired the premises and started to refurbish and extend the house even further which brought the house once more up to a high standard of comfort which today offers 4 star Bord Failte approved accommodation. Today, Williamsferry House is also approved under the Bord Failte categories for Walkers Welcome, Adverture Seekers Welcome and Food Lovers Welcome.
The whole family have a passion for good food and over the years Brian and daughter Louise have continued to cultivate their cookery skills at Ballymaloe Cookery School. In recent years Brian has also developed a vegetable plot with home grown organic fruit and vegetables and he is happy to share his knowledge of what he has learnt so far with guests who may have an interest in same.
Louise continues to develop her passion and skills for good food and hospitality as she shapes her future through her current three year degree in Culinary Arts which she is undertaking in Cork. Louise has been actively involved in the running of the business particularly during the summer months.
At Williamsferry we also offer light meals and dinner on request. We source locally produced meat, vegetables and eggs where possible and grow our own seasonal vegetables. We appreciate the value of good food and pride ourselves on ensuring our guests have a good food experience during their stay with us.
Williamsferry House is a great little place to stay. We hope you will feel it is your home away from home; indeed, most of our guests have stayed with us several times before or come to stay through personal recommendation.
We hope to be able to welcome you soon
Brian and Mary Devine
Williamsferry House offers you
- Quality bed and breakfast accommodation
- Being only a three minute walk from the town centre, you can shop, dine and generally relax and enjoy your stay in Nenagh
- Complimentary tea/coffee on arrival
- Great breakfast menu
- Light meals, dinner and packed lunches on request
- Private car park
- Private Garden
- Excellent value and great service
- Free wireless access
- All in, an Ideal central location for your stay in Nenagh