Powerscourt (Irish: Eastát Chuirt a Phaoraigh ), located in Ennis, County Wicklow, Ireland, is a large country estate which is famous for its houses and gardens, today occupying 19 hectares (47 acres). The house, originally a 13th century castle, was extensively altered during the 18th century by German architect Richard Cassels, beginning in 1731 [1] and ends in 1741. A fire in 1974 left the house situated as a shell until it was renovated in 1996.

Today the farm is owned and operated by the Slazenger family, the founder and former owner of Slazenger sporting goods company. It is a popular tourist attraction, and includes a golf course, enAvoca Hand Weavers restaurant and an Autograph Collection Hotel.

History

13th century house

The original owner of the 13-century castle, was a man named La poet, who eventually anglicised to “Power.” The castle’s position was of strategic military importance since the castle’s owner can control access to the nearby Dargle, Glencree and Glencullen rivers.

The three-storey building had at least 68 rooms. The entrance hall, where family heirlooms were shown, was 18 meters (60 feet) long and 12 meters (40 feet) wide. The main reception rooms were on the first floor instead of on the ground floor, the more typical place. A mil long avenue of beech trees leads to the house.

18th century house

Power House was extensively altered during the 18th century by German architect Richard Cassels, beginning in 1731 and ending 1741st

On a commanding hill, Richard Cassels deviated slightly from his usual dark style, giving the house something of what John Vanbrugh would have called “castle air.” This is most noticeable in the structure difficult Palladian facade bookended by two circular domed towers.

King George IV was the guest of Richard Wingfield, fifth Viscount Powers in August 1821. In the 1830s, the house was a place for a number of conferences on unfulfilled prophecies of the Bible, attending men like John Nelson Darby and Edward Irving. These conferences held under the auspices of Theodosia Wingfield Powers, when the Dowager Lady Powers. Her letters and papers were published in 2004, including summaries avPowersprofetiska conferences. [2] [3]

19-century gardens

In 1844, at the age of eight, Mervyn Wingfield, 7th Viscount Powers inherited the title and Powerscourt, consisting of 200 square kilometers (49,000 acres) of land in Ireland. When he turned 21, he embarked on an extensive renovation of the house and created new gardens.

Main attractions due include the Tower Valley (with stone tower), Japanese gardens, winged horse statues, Triton Lake, pets cemetery, Dolphin Pond, walled gardens, Bamberg Gate and the Italian garden. Pepperpot Tower said to be designed after a favored 3-tumspepperpot Lady Wingfield. Of particular interest is the pets cemetery, whose tombstones have been described as “astonishingly personal”. [ Citation needed ]

Inspiration for the garden design followed visits by Powers to ornamental gardens at the Palace of Versailles, Schönbrunn Palace near Vienna, ochSchwetzingen Castle near Heidelberg. The garden development took 20 years to complete the 1880th

20’s fire and renovation

In 1961, the estate was sold by the 9th Viscount, Mervyn Patrick Wingfield, the Slazenger family, who still own it today. Wendy Slazenger, daughter of the late Ralph Slazenger, married 10 Viscount, Niall Mervyn Wingfield, 1962. Through their children, Hon. Anthony Mervyn Wingfield and Hon. Julia Wingfield, remains a strong relationship between the two families and Powerscourt.

The house was destroyed by fire in November 4, 1974 and then renovated in 1996. Only two rooms are open to the public as they once appeared while Powers had inhabitants, while the rest of the ground floor and the first floor is now a shop units.

In 2011, Lonely Planet voted Powers in the top ten houses in the world, while in 2014, the National Geographic listed Powers as No. 3 in the world’s top ten Gardens.

21st Century

Tara’s Palace Museum of Childhood

Tara’s Palace Museum of Childhood moved from Malahide Castle near Dublin to Power House in June 2011. The museum has dollhouses, miniatures, dolls, historical toys and Tara’s Palace, one of the largest dollhouse in the world, on a par with Fairy Castle at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois, and queen Mary’s Dolls’ House at Windsor Castle. [ citation needed ]

waterfall

Powerscourt and its surrounding valley is also owned by Powerscourt, even if the two sites are no longer directly connected. At 121 meters, it is the highest waterfall in Ireland. 1858 established the seventh Viscount Powers a deer park around the waterfall, resulting in the successful introduction of the Japanese Sika Ireland.

Regular bus service from Powers to the waterfall was discontinued in 2005, but during the high summer season, intermittent bus services are still available. The waterfall is seven kilometers from Ennis, and walk. While the distance is not insurmountable, can walking be dangerous because the road is narrow and lacks a shaft for long stretches.

A separate entrance fee is required for access to the waterfall, which range from € 3.50 (children) to € 5.50 (adults). [4]

Golfclub

Power Golf Club , located at Powerscourt in County Wicklow, Ireland, is home to two par 72, 18-hole courses: the East, which was first created, and the West. Both contain fast greens and undulating fairways, and they were over 6900 yards long. 1998 East Course hosted the PGA Championship Irish.[5] [6]

popular culture

  • The house was used as a filming location most famous in Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon , which was filmed there before the 1974 fire. [Citation needed ]
  • The Slazenger family invited Lynn Garrison move its flights film unit, collection and airplane hangars, from Leixlip to Powersourt airfield in 1973. The collection would feature in Irish productions, including the Blue Max, Darling Lili, Zeppelin and Von Richthofen and Brown . It remained here until 1981. [ citation needed ]
  • The farm was used as the background and the ancestral home of the “Artist” and Moll Flanders love interest in the film Moll Flanders . [ Citation needed ]
  • 2002 version of The Count of Monte Cristo was filmed there. [7]
  • David Copperfield was filmed there in 2000. [ citation needed ]
  • Where is Jack? Filmed there in 1969. [ citation needed ]
  • Outdoor scenes for 2005 movie The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse , which include William III of England (aka “Good King Billy”) is played by Bernard Hill and Queen Mary II, played by Victoria Wood. [ Citation needed ]
  • A key scene from the 1981 film Excalibur , where Arthur is fighting Lancelot was filmed at the waterfall. [ Citation needed ]
  • Power House is the ancestral home of the fictional Lord Francis Powers in David Dickinson series of novels about the Victorian detective (Goodnight Sweet Prince , Death and the Jubilee , death called to the Bar ).[ Citation needed ]
  • The gardens used to sign Celtic Woman’s Songs from the Heart DVD and TV special. [ Citation needed ]
  • The Hallmark Channel original movie “Honeymoon for a” starring Nicollette Sheridan was filmed at the farm with the help of external scenes in the house and waterfall. [8] The film’s plot included a fight between the owners of “Castlewilde” (Powers) and local citizens concerned about the construction of a golf course, which has properties. [9]

References

  1. Jump up ^ Power House & Gardens
  2. Jump up ^ “You’ve Got Mail – Evangelicals now.” Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  3. Jump up ^ Viscountess, Powers, Theodosia A. (1 January 2004). “The letters and papers of Lady Powers.”. Chapter two. Retrieved July 20, 2016 – via The Open Library.
  4. Jump up ^ “Waterfall – Powerscourt”. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  5. Jump up ^ “Gibbons finds perfection in Powers”. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  6. Jump up ^ “Bernard Gibbons honored for service to the golf industry – Independent.ie”. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  7. Jump up ^ “The Count of Monte Cristo”. January 25, 2002 is taken. July 20, 2016 – via IMDb.
  8. Jump up ^ e-power.ie. “Wicklow Film Commission – Filming in Ireland”. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  9. Jump up ^http://www.hallmarkchannelpress.com/pr/honeymoon/home