| Altamont House | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| General information | |
| Type | Country House |
| Location | Tullow, County Carlow, Ireland |
| Construction started | 1740 |
| Completed | 1780 |
| Owner | Government of Ireland |
| Website | |
| http://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/altamont-gardens/ | |
Altamont House is a historic building best known for its ornamental gardens in County Carlow. The Robinsonian-style gardens [1] are often referred to as "the jewel in Ireland's gardening crown". [2]
The early origins of the house are unclear, with some claiming that the building was first built as a convent, [3] perhaps dating as far back as the 16th century. [4] The central section of the house dates from the 18th century and the sections that face the east remain unchanged, were built by the St George family. [5] Most of these changes to the house were to reverse it to face a newly built road. [4] During the 1780s, Benjamin Burton Doyle the High Sheriff of Carlow lived at the house. [4] In the 1840s the Dawson Borrer family refurbished and altered the house and gardens, adding the lake that was dug as relief work for the local population during the Irish famine. [3]
Feilding Lecky Watson bought Altamont in 1923, and proceeded to extend and expand the gardens. [5] Watson's interest was primarily in rhododendrons, planting seedlings from around the world and exchanging specimens with Sir Frederick Moore of the National Botanic Gardens. [6] Following Watson's death in 1943, his daughter, Corona North continued her father's horticultural work. [7]
The garden sits on the banks of River Slaney which includes an ice age glen, bog garden and arboretum, with view of the Blackstairs Mountains, Wicklow Mountains and Mount Leinster. [2] Some of the oaks are believed to be over 500 years old, [8] and the varying environments provide habitats for diverse set of wildlife. [2] The garden is home to a variety of rare azaleas, rhododendrons, magnolias, [9] as well as wild bluebells and snowdrops. [10] The gardens also feature a Wellingtonia, the Sequoiadendron giganteum or Giant Redwood, which was planted to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo. [4]
A trust was set up in the early 1990s to preserve the estate of 100 acres. [4] Following the death of Corona North, ownership of the house and gardens was transferred to the Irish State, and is operated by the Office of Public Works. [11] [12]
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the east and the counties of Wexford to the south, Carlow to the southwest, Kildare to the west, and South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown to the north.
Rhododendron is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan region, but smaller numbers occur elsewhere in Asia, and in North America, Europe and Australia.
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Altamont is a city in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,216 at the 2020 census. Altamont is part of the Effingham, Illinois Micropolitan Statistical Area.
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Carlow is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km (52 mi) from Dublin. At the 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the twelfth-largest urban center in Ireland.
Lisnavagh Estate is an estate house which lies outside the village of Rathvilly in County Carlow, Ireland. Lisnavagh is the family seat of the McClintock-Bunbury family, Barons Rathdonnell. A plaque in the present house states that the original house at Lisnavagh was built by William Bunbury in 1696. A map from the 1840 Ordnance Survey shows this in the parklands below the current house, with some modest farm buildings close by. The 1840 map also shows "Foundations of House" to the northwest, near the top of the hill, which is where a new house was planned but never completed. The new house was ultimately built nearer to the old house.
Paris Mountain State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of South Carolina, located five miles (8 km) north of Greenville. Activities available in the 1,540-acre (6 km2) park include hiking, biking, swimming and picnicking. The 13-acre (52,609 m2) Lake Placid offers swimming and fishing. Canoes, kayaks, and pedal boats are seasonally available for rental; private boats are not permitted. Camping is allowed and campsites range from rustic, back country sites to paved sites with water and electricity hook-ups. The park's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) structures, including the Camp Buckhorn lodge, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. m.
Duckett's Grove(Irish: Garrán Duckett) is a ruined 19th-century great house and former estate in County Carlow, Ireland. Belonging to the Duckett family, the house was formerly the focal point of a 12,000-acre (49 km2) estate, and dominated the local landscape of the area for more than two centuries. The interior of the house was destroyed by a major fire in the 1930s and is now inaccessible. The surrounding gardens, including two inter-connecting walled gardens, are now managed by Carlow County Council and open as a public park.
Mount Congreve is an 18th-century Georgian estate and mansion situated near the village of Kilmeaden in County Waterford, Ireland. The architect was John Roberts, a Waterford-based architect who subsequently designed and built most of the 18th-century public buildings in Waterford, including both cathedrals. The House is situated close to the Southern bank of the River Suir approximately 7 kilometres from Waterford City. It overlooks County Kilkenny to the North.
The South Leinster Way is a long-distance trail in Ireland. It is 104 kilometres long and begins in Kildavin, County Carlow and runs through County Kilkenny before ending in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. It is typically completed in five days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is jointly managed by Carlow County Council, Kilkenny County Council, Tipperary County Council, Carlow Local Sports Partnership, Kilkenny Trails and Coillte. It was opened on 30 November 1985 by Donal Creed, Minister of State for Sport.
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