Killruddery Gardens
Ireland's Oldest, Owned by the Earls of Meath since 1618
The Brabazon family (Earls of Meath) has continuously owned Killruddery Estate (Bray, County Wicklow) since 1618. Killruddery contains Ireland's oldest garden features.
Visiting the gardens at Killruddery Estate, Bray, County Wicklow, is like opening a garden history book to pages devoted to formal gardens of the late 17th through early 19th centuries. These gardens contain 17th-century garden features believed by garden historians to be Ireland's oldest. First-rate 18th- and 19th- century garden characteristics combine almost seamlessly with the 17th-century garden features to form an impressive but comfortable landscape garden.
Overview
The Brabazon family (Earls of Meath) has continuously owned Killruddery Estate – house and gardens - since 1618. As a result, ongoing maintenance preserved the majority of the gardens' designs and outlines right through the years. The loss of workers during World War II (1939-1945) caused a lack of gardening help, and wide-ranging neglect overwhelmed the gardens.
The Earl and Countess of Meath, returning to Killruddery in 1951, found the garden overgrown and dandelions growing in the paths. They carried out general cleanup and pruning through autumn, 1997. Now, repairs and reconstruction take place along with continuing routine maintenance by gardeners. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Great Gardens of Ireland Restoration Programme, administered by Fàilte Ireland, facilitated the renovation and renewal of Killruddery Gardens.
More often than not, cultural, sociological, and political fashions compel groups similar to Ireland's Norman-Anglo-Irish landed gentry, like the Brabazon family (Earls of Meath), to build gardens like Killruddery. Four Suite101.com Landscaping articles as well as this one, not only describe Killruddery Gardens but also offer ideas and clues as to why gardens are more than just designs that contain collections of plants.
These four articles with their key points listed are shown below:
Ireland's Oldest Garden: Overview of National Pressures
- William the Conquerer to the Tudors
- British Rule, especially the Stuart Dynasty (1603-1714)
- The French Style and Restoration of the British Monarchy
- Detailed Description of Killruddery Gardens (17 April 1711, The Dublin Intelligencer)
Ireland's Oldest Garden: Existing 17th – and 18th – Century Landscape Design Features
- Twin Canals (Miroirs d'Eaux) or The Long Pond
- The Round Pond and Fountain, Deer Park and Double Linden (Lime Avenue)
- The Angles (Patte d' Oie) or Goose Foot
- The Wilderness (Bosquet / Bosket)
- The Double Beech Hedge and Pond
- The Sylvan Theatre and Turf Benches
Ireland's Oldest Garden: Killruddery - Georgian - Early 19th-Century Landscape Design Features
- Ongoing Maintenance
- Garden Restoration
- European Statues
Ireland's Oldest Garden: Killruddery - Victorian -19th-Century Landscape Design Features
- Restoration by Landscape Gardener Daniel Roberston
- Elizabethan-Revival Lavender-Rose Garden
- Victorian Ornamental Octagonal Dairy
- Cast-iron Decorative Statues
©Text and photograph by Georgene A. Bramlage, March 2007. Reproduction without permission prohibited.
