---
title: "Restoration begins at Westown House in the Naul after years of ruin"
url: "https://usubjects.com/article/restoration-begins-at-westown-house-in-the-naul-after-years-of-ruin-3567"
updated: "2026-09-10T16:02:50.899Z"
description: "Westown House in the Naul, outside Dublin, stood abandoned and in ruins for years before restoration work finally began. The article wonders whether the ghosts rumored to haunt the decaying mansion are still lingering there as the building is brought back to life."
sources: ["https://moonmausoleum.com/westown-house-and-the-ghosts-rising-from-the-ruins/"]
licence: "All rights reserved"
---

# Restoration begins at Westown House in the Naul after years of ruin

Published: 2026-09-09  
Source: [Moon Mausoleum](https://moonmausoleum.com/westown-house-and-the-ghosts-rising-from-the-ruins/)

### Overview

Restoration has finally begun at **Westown House** in the Naul, north of Dublin, after the long-abandoned 18th-century mansion spent years in a state of ruin. Once the seat of the **Hussey family**, the house had stood empty since the **1920s**, its walls collapsing and its grounds overtaken by ivy and neglect. The renewed work marks a significant step in preserving one of the area’s most evocative historic buildings, even as it revives the stories that have gathered around the site over generations.

### A House Long Left to Decay

For decades, Westown House was known less as a residence than as a relic—an imposing shell of stone and memory hidden among the quiet fields of the Naul. The building’s deterioration became part of its identity: crumbling masonry, overgrown approaches, and a sense of abandonment that invited both heritage interest and local folklore. According to accounts tied to the site, the mansion’s decline began after it was deserted in the early 20th century, leaving behind a structure that seemed frozen between past grandeur and present ruin.

Restoration work has reportedly been underway **since 2015**, with plans aimed at returning the house to something approaching its former form. A reconstruction image shared with the project suggests the building could eventually regain much of its original appearance, though the process is clearly long-term and complex. For preservationists, the effort represents more than cosmetic repair; it is an attempt to salvage a historic landmark before further decay makes recovery impossible.

### The Ghost Story That Endures

Alongside the restoration, however, comes a tale that has persisted through the years: the legend of **the ghost of a poacher**. Local folklore says the man once hunted the woods and fields around Westown House before being caught and **shot dead on the spot**. His body, the story goes, was left where it fell until morning. Since then, people have claimed that his presence remains tied to the grounds, lingering around the ruins after dark.

### Folklore in the Shadows

Accounts associated with the site describe eerie sensations: footsteps behind unsuspecting walkers, twigs snapping in empty spaces, a feeling of heavy breathing near the ear, or the faint sound of a coat rustling in the trees. These are the kinds of details that keep a place like Westown House alive in the public imagination, especially while its physical form is being restored. The legend does not appear in any formal historical record within the source material, but it reflects how ruins often accumulate stories as well as damage.

### Preserving History, Preserving Mystery

As Westown House is brought back from ruin, it sits at the intersection of **heritage conservation and local legend**. The restoration may eventually give the house a new chapter, but the folklore surrounding it is unlikely to disappear. If anything, rebuilding often strengthens a site’s cultural identity by drawing attention to what came before. In that sense, the question of whether the ghosts are still “haunting” the ruins may be less about the supernatural than about memory: whether the stories of Westown House can survive even as the building itself is restored.

## Provenance

This USUBJECTS page is a summary or digest of the linked original source. Any accompanying generated visual is an illustrative reconstruction, not evidence.