The History of Nile Lodge
Captain and Commander William Hutchinson, of Nelson fleet, built a home on the shores of Galway Bay echoing the design of the bridge of a ship.
In 1798 Admiral Nelson of and Napoleon's fleets fought for supremacy on the high seas of Europe.
Returning from the turbulence of war, Commander William Hutchinson, of Nelsons fleet, choose to built a home in the peaceful medieval city of Galway and named it Nile Lodge.
The house reputedly echoes the design of the bridge of a ship, is beautifully oriented to maximise the sunlight and originally had sea views. The walls are heavily fortified against the threat of sea flooding, and the lower ground floor walls are 2 feet deep.
During his time in Galway he commanded a ship on Galway Bay called the Plumper, its purpose was to protect small fishing boats from larger boats that were attempting to comandeer local fishing, on which the local population depended.
He appears to have had a happy time in Galway, his son was born here, and he was reprimanded for firing off canon on the bay when celebrating the birth of his friend’s son.
He returned to service on Nelsons flagship, the Victory, serving as Captain of that ship when it was on coastal duties in Plymouth at the end of the Napoleonic wars.
The house is one of the most famous in the city and actually gave its name to the crossroads nearby, where the original gated entrance to the house was located.
The house originally had beautiful commanding sea views. Over the passage of time new houses and roads were built between the house and the sea. One of these is the great seaside promenade, the longest in Europe.
Commander William Hutchinson
The Victory, part of Nelson's fleet
Nile Lodge was built by a Commander William Hutchinson who served as a commissioned officer in Nelsons Navy. Although born in England he chose the west coast of Ireland to build a home on the shores of Galway bay, located to the west side of the medieval city of Galway.
William Hutchinson s life and times are fascinating. He entered the Royal Navy in August 1790 rated able seaman on board HMS Nassau. He quickly rose through the ranks serving on HMS Bellerophon as Masters Mate and Acting First Lieutenant.
Hutchinson was made full lieutenant in 1805. In 1809 he Commanded Nelsons ship Brevdrageren followed by many small vessels. In 1920 he was given Command of The Plumper gun-brig .The plumper was 70ft long and carried 50 men, 2x6 pdr. cannon and 10x18 cannonades. While Commander he was reprimanded for waking the townspeople of Galway by firing off cannon in Galway Bay (on one occasion to celebrate the birth of his friends son).
He was appointed to The Victory (the ship on which Nelson so famously died) while it was acting as a guard ship in Portsmouth, England. In 1843 he was put on half pay and in 1851 was made Captain. The Victory has been restored and is a major tourist attraction for Nelson history enthusiasts.
He died in 1855 leaving Nile Lodge to his son Captain William Hutchinson junior.
Ireland has a history of producing great sailors and Irishmen were chosen to make up one third of Nelsons crew.
