Page 140 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Ireland

138  IRELAND REGION B Y REGION

7 Powerscourt

The gardens at Powerscourt are probably the
finest in Ireland, both for their design and their
dramatic setting at the foot of Great Sugar Loaf
Mountain. The house and grounds were
commissioned in the 1730s by Richard Wingfield,
the 1st Viscount Powerscourt. New ornamental
gardens were completed in 1875 by the 7th
Viscount, who added gates, urns and statues
collected during his travels in Europe. The house
was gutted by an accidental fire in 1974, but the Bamberg Gate
ground floor has been beautifully renovated and Made in Vienna in the 1770s, this gilded
wrought-iron gate was brought to
now accommodates an upmarket shopping Powerscourt by the 7th Viscount from
centre with an excellent restaurant and café. Bamberg Church in Bavaria.

KEY
1 The Pets’ Cemetery contains the
graves of Wingfield family dogs, cats
and even horses and cattle.
2 Dolphin Pond, designed as a
fish pond in the 18th century, is
enclosed by exotic conifers in a Powerscourt House
lovely secluded garden.
3 The Walled Gardens include Originally built in 1731 on the site of a Norman castle, the
a formal arrangement of clipped Palladian mansion at Powerscourt was designed by Richard
laurel trees. Cassels, who was also the architect of Russborough House (see
p136). In 1974 a fire left the fine building a burnt-out, roofless
4 Statue of Laocoön shell. The Slazenger
5 The Italian Garden is laid out on family, who now
terraces which were first cut into the own the estate,
steep hillside in the 1730s. have restored part
6 The Pebble Mosaic was made of the house. It now
using many tonnes of pebbles, includes a terrace
which were gathered from Bray café, speciality
beach to construct the Perron. shops and
audiovisual displays
7 The Pepper Pot Tower was built covering the history
in 1911. of the estate. Powerscourt ablaze in 1974
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp297–8 and pp311–13

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