Anne’s Grove Gardens to open to public in summer 2021
The historical Anne’s Grove Estate in Castletownroche which is currently undergoing works by the Office of Public Works (OPW), is earmarked to open to the public for the summer of 2021. The 190-acre demesne consists of gardens, parklands, a house and outbuildings.
Anne’s Grove Estate came into the care of OPW in December of 2015 after the Annesley family donated it and an ambitious programme of restoration commenced.
According to Hugh Carrigan, Parks Superintendent at National Historic Properties, while a vast amount of work has already been undertaken, the realisation of a full conservation and restoration will take ‘many years to complete’.
Works carried out on the estate by OPW to date include resurfacing of main access roads, car park, and areas to the front of the house and reinstatement of the main access path from the main house to the Gothic Lodge.
Remedial works have been carried out on farmyard buildings to protect them from decay and on the front façade of the main house.
Repairs have been made to the estate walls and to the public toilet facilities.
Some of the more extensive works undertaken by OPW to date include the restoration and replanting works in the gardens, including path repairs, wall repairs, arboriculture works, and restoration of various plant borders and planting schemes.
Views and vistas in the gardens have also been restored, as well as the bridges, estate railings and more.
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
“The long term aim is to repurpose many of the historic buildings and to nurture the landscape and plant collections to their former glory as one of Ireland’s premier visitor attractions,” Mr Carrigan added.
Anne’s Grove gardens are a Robinsonian-style gardens set in an 18th century ‘ornamental glen’ adjacent to the river Awbeg.
They are of international significance, primarily because of their historic designed landscape consisting of two distinct layers, dating from the 18th and 19th century and the second dating from the 20th century, which is enhanced by the horticultural importance of Grove Annesley’s plant collecting.
The gardens also include wild meadows and riverside walks along with an ornamental walled garden.
The early 18th century Queen Anne house and associated 18th century out-buildings, together with the adjacent home farm, make up a designed demesne landscape unique in Ireland, which forms an important part of our heritage and is one of the outstanding gardens of its type still in existence.