Historic Cork Gardens
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Historic Cork Gardens of County Cork, Ireland.
[edit] Annes Grove
Started by Richard Grove Annesley, in the grounds of a house near Fermoy dating from the early eighteenth century. Home to many Himalayan rhododendrons, some from seeds collected by Captain Frank Kingdon-Ward in Burma and Tibet in 1924. The garden, on the River Blackwater has a unique water garden to which William Robinson devoted a chapter in his publication The English Flower Garden. [1], [2]
[edit] Ardnagashel House
On the shores of Bantry Bay, home of the Hutchins family and of the botanist Ellen Hutchins and guided by the Director of Kew Gardens made an arboretum. This included Podocarpus salignus, among the finest in Ireland or Britain. Many Himalayan trees and shrubs have been added by Colonel Kaulback who had accompanied Frank Kingdon on one of his Himalayan plant expeditions in the 1920s. Samuel Hutchins 1834-1915 returned from Australia in 1858 with one hundred pckets of seeds of Australian plants. Earlier plantings were done by Arthur 1770-1838, his brother Emmanuel 1785-1815 and Ellen 1785-1815 (also a botanical illustrator). The area was recorded in 1980 by John Bevan: 'Ardnagashel-A Hidden Treasure'.
[edit] Ashbourne House
Mr. R.H. Beamish laid out his alpine and sub-tropical gardens at Glounthane in 1900. Included were plants from China introduced by E.H. Wilson and from New Zealand by Captain Dorrien Smith of Tresco. There were Haplocartha scaposa introduced from South Africa by Mr. Beamish together with rare Mexican White Pine (Pinus ayacahuite), the tallest in the British Isles. [3]
[edit] Ballintober
Near Kinsale is a lost demesne, which was noted in the late 17th century for its elaborate gardens (Rosemary ffolliott, The Poles of Mayfield, Dublin 1958, plate 1X, p151).
[edit] Bantry House
The first phase of the garden lay-out was carried out by Lord Bantry between 1791 and 1795. The work was continued by his eldest son Richard (Viscount Berehaven) between 1844 and 1868, and influenced by his wide continental travels. Extensive restoration has recently been carried out on the gardens. [4], [5]
[edit] Belgrove
Gardens Great Island near Cobh on Cork Harbour was established by William Edward Gumbleton (1840-1911). He obtained species and varieties from the heads of botanical institutions all over the world. The garden was a cross between trial grounds and a botanical garden. Fruit trials featured at the garden. The writer and garden designer William Robinson in 1899 dedicated a volume of The Garden to Gumbleton. Gumbleton had one of the best botanical libraries in Europe and on his death he bequeathed these to the Irish National Botanic Gardens in Dublin.
[edit] Besborough
Home of Ebenezer Pike, located in Blackrock just outside of Cork. Noted for its collection of 'Desfontainea spinosa'. The House and grounds was later acquired by a religious order of nuns. [ [6],[7]
[edit] Castlemartyr
In the early 19th century the 4th Earl of Shannon laid out a garden of camellias a noble pinetum based on a design by Fraser. [8]
[edit] Cork Botanic Gardens
The Royal Cork Institution was set up in 1803 and received a Parliamentary grant of two thousand pounds per year. The Governors decided to establish a botanical garden, and in 1807 leased a 5.5 acre site at 'Lilliput', Ballypehane, Cork. In 1808 they employed Scotsman James Drummond (1787-1863) to lay out the gardens. In 1822 the garden was described (Power: Botanist's guide to the County of Cork, 1845) as having approximately six acres and a glasshouse in a walled enclosure of one acre. Drummond was a noted field botanist during his time in Cork. The Government grant was withdrawn in 1830 and the Governors declined Drummond's offer to lease the gardens and opted to surrender the lease. The lands were then let to Fr. Mathew of Temperance fame for a cemetery which use still continues. The only current evidence of the gardens is a cedar tree. [9], [10], [11]
[edit] Creagh
Established by the Harold-Barry family on the shores of Baltimore Bay, near Skibbereen. Contains a mixture of native and exotic planting, including 'The Ho Che Min Trail'. Open to the public during West Cork garden trail. [12], [13], [14]
[edit] Drombrow House
Two miles from Bantry in the Mealagh Valley. The property was owned by the White family from the 1790s until 1853 when Major Arthur Wilkinson bought it. After 1880 Drombow Lake was selected for a reservoir this gave the impetus to Arthur Berkeley Wilkinson to build a series of water gardens, dedicated to the cultivation of water lillies. The gardens also contained a range of wayside flowers supplied from Glasnevin, and in turn Drombrow supplied Glasnevin with bamboo, waterlily ,phlox and buttereworth 1913-1929. After Wilkinson's death in 1937, many plants were transferred to Illnacullin. Neglect befell the gardens the water garden fell into disrepair . [15]
[edit] Fota Island
Home to the Smith-Barry family, Fota is located eight miles from Cobh on Cork Harbour. Hugh Smith-Barry (1816-57) reclaimed 1,100 acres from the sea and planted it with belts of fir, establishing a four-acre fruit garden and 15 acre arboretum. His son Lord Barrymore with his gardener William Osborne continued with the planting of exotics including Nordmann Fir (Abies nordmanniana) from the Caucasus in 1838. The tradition of planting has continued under the ownership of University College Cork.
[edit] Hollybrook House
Skibbereen, on the banks of the Ilen river. Japanese water garden laid out 1903 by two Japanese gardeners for Mrs. Morgan,
[edit] Ilnacullin
Designed by Harold Peto for the owner Annan Bryce, this island garden, probably better known as Garnish Island (properly Garinish Island) or The Italian Gardens, was bequeathed to the Irish people in 1953. With a favourable micro-climate Ilnacullin is home to an array of sub-tropical plants in a magnificent setting. Structures include a clock tower, Grecian Temple, Martello Tower, Italian Tea House or "Casita" and an Italian Temple. Access is by small boat from Glengarriff.
[edit] Lakelands
Home of William Horatio Crawford (1812-1888), Ballinure, outside Cork on the Mahon paensula. Magnolia cambelli flowered for the first time in cultivation
[edit] Lisselane
Home of the Bence-Jones family, found outside Clonakilty, West Cork. Laid out in Robinsonian style with a collection of rare and exotic plants and containing a bog-garden 1909. [18]
[edit] Myrtle Grove
Home of Sir Walter Raleigh, Mayor of Youghal (1588-9), reputedly where the potato was introduced to Europe.
[edit] The College, Youghal
Laid out by the Earl of Cork c1612-14, these gardens are located besides the Raleigh house at Myrtle Grove and consist of two terraces 160 yards long cut into the hillside overlooking the town. The original garden walls and terracing are still present.
[edit] References
- William Baylor Hartland
- Terence Reeves-Smyth: Irish Gardens and Gardening before Cromwell: Barryscourt Trust 1999 ISBN 0-946641-96-X
- Keith Lamb/Patrick Bowe, A History of Gardening in Ireland, The Stationery Office, 1995 ISBN 0-7076-1666-2
- Cork 365, Sean Beecher, The Collins Press 2005 ISBN 1-903464-92-7
- Irish Gardens and Demesnes from 1830, Edward Malins and Patrick Bowe, Rizolli, New York 1980, ISDN 0-8478-0342-2
- The lost demesnes of Bantry Bay, Nigel Everett, Hafod Press
- Ilnacullin, National Parks and Monuments Service 1989 ISBN 0-7076-0034-0
[edit] External links
- Fotal Island
- Halford Press, the lost demesnes of Bantry Bay, [19]
