Powerscourt House & Gardens | County Wicklow | Dallaswear

Powerscourt House and Gardens

Powerscourt House and Gardens, in County Wicklow, is just twenty minutes away from Dublin.

Powerscourt House was commissioned in 1730 and building was completed by 1741. Built around a castle dating from 1300, the architect was German born Richard Cassles. Cassles was the leading country house architect of the time. A grand house, Powerscourt, has sixty-eight rooms. Designed to impress, it is built in the Palladian style of architecture with baroque dome-roofed towers.

Stretching over 47 acres the gardens have been ranked number three in the World’s Top Ten Gardens by National Geographic. Formal plans for the gardens began in 1743. Set against a backdrop of the Wicklow mountains the gardens were designed to complement the naturally stunning scenery. Gardens and footpaths link together to take the viewer on a wonderful journey through the landscape. The gardens are at the back of the house. Stepping out from the house onto the top terrace of the Italian garden is quite breath taking. Terraces lead the eye down passed beautiful symmetric and well-manicured floral displays to the lake and beyond through the natural landscape to the striking Sugarloaf Mountain. The terraces took one hundred labourers over twelve years to build.

The gardens draw on influences from across the world with statues that sit beautifully in their surroundings. As the Viscounts of Powerscourt travelled across Europe, which was very fashionable to do at the time, they would see striking pieces of art. They would either purchase original pieces or have excellent quality replicas made for the gardens. The most striking are two winged horses that stand rearing up on their back legs at the edge of Triton Lake, in the Italian garden. These life-sized horses are Fame and Victory, created by Professor Hugo Hagen from the design of German sculptor Christian Rauch. These are my personal favourites, being in the most beautiful position next to the lake and of such amazing detail. When observed close up every quivering muscle rendered in the stone is exquisite in detail and so life like.

I really enjoyed the ironwork on display in the gardens as well as the selection of statues scattered throughout. It seemed as if there was something interesting or stunning to look at where ever I turned my gaze!

Today at Powerscourt, visitors can meander through the Japanese Garden, the Walled Garden, Tower Valley, the Pets Cemetery and the Italian Garden. Each area is beautiful and quite distinct from the other. One of the oldest parts of the gardens is the Walled Garden which started out as the Kitchen Garden, where much of the food for the house would have been grown. This garden also features Ireland’s largest herbaceous border. The Pets Cemetery is the last resting place of the pets kept by the owners of the house and is believed to be the largest of its kind in any private house in Ireland.

There is an array of gorgeous trees to be seen at Powerscourt. Beginning your visit, you are greeted by a tree lined avenue of beech trees planted over 250 years ago. Much like the statues and ironwork in the gardens, gathered from across Europe, many species of trees were collected and planted over the years. When first planted many of these species would have been seen as exotic. There are now hundreds of varieties of trees to enjoy from all over the world. Powerscourt boasts the tallest tree in Ireland, a Douglas Fir, at an impressive 202 feet tall.

Back at the house, the Avoca Terrace Café is definitely the place to stop to relax. It’s just the spot to enjoy something delicious and drink in the view across the gardens! There’s also the Avoca Food Market in the house which is a gourmet deli and bakery. This is foodie heaven where you’ll find all manner of temptation from unusual ingredients to sweet treats!

After that tasty treat and lingering as long as possible to take in the view, there is still more to see and do at Powerscourt House. Within the house itself there are some lovely shops to explore. There is a shop offering furniture and soft furnishings and another which specialises in Irish design, handcraft, jewellery and accessories. As well as the Avoca Food Market, Avoca have a shop specialising in all things beautiful including fashion, children’s wear, jewellery and aromatics. Outside the main building you’ll find another shop selling all manner of plants, gifts and outdoor clothing.

If all that wasn’t enough and you’ve still got some energy left, why not move on to the Powerscourt Waterfall, which has featured in many films and television programmes? As well as laying claim to Ireland’s tallest tree Powerscourt is also home to Ireland’s highest waterfall (397 feet tall). Just under four miles from the main estate and in stunning countryside it is definitely worth a visit. You may be lucky and see the red squirrel or Sika Deer that live in the area.

Access is very good for those with difficulties and for people with children in pushchairs. There is disabled parking, access to the Terrace café and a lift to the first floor of the house. Carers can claim free entry to the house and gardens.

Check out the website for full details. I will provide a link below.

At present, due to Coronavirus restrictions, Powerscourt House and Gardens is closed to most people. If you live locally the grounds remain open for you. All details regarding lockdown can be found on the website for Powerscourt.

Link for disabled visitors:

https://powerscourt.com/plan-your-visit/accessibil...

Coronavirus Restrictions:

https://powerscourt.com/blog/october2020/