Jump to content

National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh: Difference between revisions

Add links
Coordinates: 52°55′46″N 6°08′52″W / 52.929327°N 6.147796°W / 52.929327; -6.147796
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
added updates about the house restoration plans
 
(33 intermediate revisions by 13 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
[[File:Entrance_to_Kilmacurragh_National_Botanic_Gardens.jpg|alt=Entrance Sign to Kilmacurragh National Botanic Gardens|thumb|Entrance Sign at the gardens]]
{{Use Irish English|date=November 2020}}
⚫
The National Botanic Gardens Kilmacurragh (Irish: Garraithe Náisiúnta na Lus Cill Mochura) is a satellite garden and arboretum of the main National Botanic Gardens of Ireland located in Glasnevin, Co.Dublin Ireland. The 52 acre gardens are situated 5km from exit 18 on the M11 motorway outside Wicklow Town, Co. Wicklow.
{{Infobox park
| name = National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh
| alt_name = Garraithe Náisiúnta na Lus Cill Mochura
| photo = Entrance_to_Kilmacurragh_National_Botanic_Gardens.jpg
| photo_width = 230
| photo_caption =
| type = [[Botanical garden|Botanic Garden]]
| location = Kilmacurragh, Wicklow
| coords = {{coord|52.929327|-6.147796|dim:600_scale:6000_region:IE-D_type:landmark_source:dewiki|display=inline}}
| area = {{convert|21.04|ha|abbr=on}}
| created = 1712
| operator = [[Office of Public Works]]
| visitation_num =
| status = Open all year
| website = [http://botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh/ www.botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh]
}}


⚫
'''The National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh''' ({{Irish place name|Garraithe Náisiúnta na Lus, Cill Mochura}}) is a garden and arboretum outside [[Wicklow|Wicklow Town]], [[County Wicklow]], Ireland. It is a satellite of the main [[National Botanic Gardens (Ireland)|National Botanic Gardens]] located in [[Glasnevin]], County Dublin. The 52 acre gardens are situated 5 km from exit 18 on the M11 motorway.
⚫
The gardens were founded in 1712 as part of the Acton family estate who owned the land till 1940. <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://visitwicklow.ie/item/national-botanic-garden-kilmaccuragh|title=National Botanic Garden at Kilmacurragh – Wicklow County Tourism|last=|first=|date=|website=Visit Wicklow|language=en-GB|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2019-04-21}}</ref> Today, the gardens are in State ownership through the Office of Public Works. They were acquired in 1976 by the Land commissioner and management transferred to National Botanic Gardens in 1996. Over recent years there has been a large uptake in day visitors coming to the gardens, thanks to the free entry, guided tours and new facilities such as Acton café. Kilmacurragh is particularly famous for its conifers and rhododendron collections.


⚫
The gardens were founded in 1712 as part of the Acton family estate who owned the land until 1940.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://visitwicklow.ie/item/national-botanic-garden-kilmaccuragh|title=National Botanic Garden at Kilmacurragh – Wicklow County Tourism|website=Visit Wicklow|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-04-21}}</ref> Today, the gardens are in State ownership through the [[Office of Public Works]]. They were acquired in 1976 by the Land commissioner and day-to-day management transferred to National Botanic Gardens in 1996.
The gardens are currently undergoing a modern refurbishment, planned to rejuvenate the older plant collections, while a new initiative has seen an extensive collection of plants from temperate regions of the world (like China, Chile and the Himalayas) introduced. This has also seen the old wildflower meadows have also been restored to their former glory.


== History ==
== History ==
The story of Kilmacurragh stretches back beyond the establishment of the gardens to early Christian times. A lake once existed as a fish pond for a monastery dissolved by Henry VIII. The cobbled road to Wexford taken by Cromwell’s men still runs through a great avenue of oaks and can be walked by visitors today.
The story of Kilmacurragh stretches back beyond the establishment of the gardens to early [[Christianity|Christian]] times when Saint Mochorog established a hermitage in the 7th century. A lake, part of which remains as a small pond, once existed as a fishing pond for a monastery that stood where the remains of the Acton family home stand today. This monastery was dissolved by [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] and the lands gifted to Thomas Acton I in lieu of wages.


Thomas Acton II (1655-1750) tore down the remaining monastery buildings in 1697 and used the stone to build the centrepiece Queen Anne style house. This house was one of the first unfortified houses of the time in County Wicklow and, while today it is in ruins, it is one of the few remaining early panelled houses in Ireland.
⚫
Thomas Acton and his sister Jane Acton were the driving forces behind the gardens, subscribing to plant hunting expeditions and utilising contacts in botanical gardens and nurseries around the globe to acquire exotic seeds for the gardens. The gardens were the showpiece of the rare Irish Queen Anne style house, the home of the Acton family.


One of the key sights at the gardens today, the Rhododendron walks, were developed through a friendship with David Moore the curator of the National Botanic Garden’s at Glasnevin for the time This lead to Kilmacurragh becoming the home to the national rhododendron collection.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh/|title=Kilmacurragh Home {{!}} The National Botanic Gardens of Ireland|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-06}}</ref>
Thomas Acton III (1742-1817) inherited the estate in 1779 and decided to change the name of the estate from Kilmacurra to West Aston in 1750. When Thomas Acton IV inherited the Estate in 1854, he reverted his grandfathers name change and changed the estate’s name to Kilmacurragh, misspelling the original Kilmacurra. <ref>{{Cite web |title=History {{!}} National Botanic Gardens of Ireland |url=https://botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh/history/ |access-date=2022-11-21 |language=en-GB}}</ref>


⚫
Thomas Acton IV and his sister Jane Acton were behind establishment of the current gardens. By the time they inherited the estate, it was over 150 years old, they quickly set about modernising it. The subscribing to plant hunting expeditions and utilising contacts in botanical gardens and nurseries around the globe to acquire exotic seeds for the gardens. The gardens were the showpiece of the rare Irish Queen Anne style house, the home of the Acton family.
⚫
Further through this friendship Kilmacurragh, whose unique acidic brown soil, low rainfall and mild winters, become the home of many specimens that were struggling or failing at Glasnevin. Many of the species grown in the gardens are so rare that they may be the only one or two of their kind in Europe or even the Northern Hemisphere.


These rare species include <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/kilmacurragh-arboretum-ireland-s-secret-garden-1.2129520|title=Kilmacurragh Arboretum: Ireland’s secret garden|last=Thompson|first=Sylvia|website=The Irish Times|language=en|access-date=2019-07-06}}</ref>
The [[Rhododendron]] walks were developed through a friendship with David Moore the curator of the National Botanic Garden's at Glasnevin. This led to Kilmacurragh becoming the home to the national rhododendron collection.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh/|title=Kilmacurragh Home {{!}} The National Botanic Gardens of Ireland|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-06}}</ref>


⚫
Further Kilmacurragh, whose acidic brown soil, low rainfall and mild winters, become the home of many specimens that were struggling or failing at Glasnevin. Many of the species grown in the gardens are so rare that they may be the only one or two of their kind in Europe or even the Northern Hemisphere.
⚫
* Monkey puzzles (conservation status [[Endangered species|Endangered]])
[[File:ActonHouseRuins.jpg|alt=Photo of the Acton family home in National Botanic Gardens Kilmacurragh|thumb|The remains of the Acton family home in National Botanic Gardens Kilmacurragh]]
* Chilean Laurel
These rare species include<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/kilmacurragh-arboretum-ireland-s-secret-garden-1.2129520|title=Kilmacurragh Arboretum: Ireland's secret garden|last=Thompson|first=Sylvia|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en|access-date=2019-07-06}}</ref>
⚫
* Tiger tailed spruce
⚫
* Wellingtonia tree
⚫
* ''Magnolia campbellii'' from India
⚫
* Mexican cypress


⚫
*[[Araucaria araucana|Monkey puzzles]] (conservation status [[Endangered species|endangered]])
⚫
The house was abandoned in the 1920s but was later run as Kilmacurragh Park Hotel by Charles Budina. An ownership dispute led to the abandonment of the gardens till it was acquired by the Irish state in 1976.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/buildings-at-risk-kilmacurragh-house-co-wicklow-1.1971628|title=Buildings at risk: Kilmacurragh House, Co Wicklow|last=Thompson|first=Sylvia|website=The Irish Times|language=en|access-date=2019-07-06}}</ref>
*[[Laurelia sempervirens|Chilean Laurel]]
⚫
*[[Picea torano|Tiger-tailed spruce]]
⚫
*[[Sequoiadendron giganteum|Wellingtonia tree]]
⚫
*[[Magnolia campbellii|Campbell's magnolia]]
⚫
*[[Taxodium mucronatum|Mexican cypress]]
[[File:Mature Monkey Puzzle Tree Kilmacurragh, Wicklow Ireland.jpg|alt=Mature monkey puzzle tree in National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh|thumb|Mature monkey puzzle tree in the gardens.]]
⚫
The house was abandoned in the 1920s but was later run as Kilmacurragh Park Hotel by Charles Budina. An ownership dispute led to the abandonment of the gardens until it was acquired by the [[Republic of Ireland|Irish state]] in 1976.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/buildings-at-risk-kilmacurragh-house-co-wicklow-1.1971628|title=Buildings at risk: Kilmacurragh House, Co Wicklow|last=Thompson|first=Sylvia|website=The Irish Times|language=en|access-date=2019-07-06}}</ref>

In 2021 it was announced that funds would be made available to restored the house under the national development plan<ref>{{Cite web |last=Society |first=Irish Georgian |title=>Kilmacurragh House will be renovated under the renewed National Development Plan! |url=https://www.igs.ie/updates/article/kilmacurragh-house-will-be-renovated-under-the-renewed-national-development-plan |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=IGS Craft (en-IE) |language=en}}</ref> and in late 2023, planning permission was granted for these plans which will include reinstatement of the building's roof, restoration of its windows and doors, and the conservation of the external wall finishes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-18 |title=Plans to restore Wicklow’s Kilmacurragh House take big step forward |url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wicklow/wicklow-district/plans-to-restore-wicklows-kilmacurragh-house-take-big-step-forward/a1064497867.html |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=Independent.ie |language=en}}</ref>


== Facilities ==
== Facilities ==
[[File:Map_of_Kilmacurragh_National_Botanical_Gardens.jpg|alt=Map of Kilmacurragh National Botanical Gardens|thumb|Map of Kilmacurragh National Botanical Gardens]]
[[File:Map_of_Kilmacurragh_National_Botanical_Gardens.jpg|alt=Map of Kilmacurragh National Botanical Gardens|thumb|Map of Kilmacurragh National Botanic Gardens]]
In recent years, the gardens have seen a surge of interest becoming an very popular tourist destination for day trips in the Wicklow area. Admission to the gardens is free with parking on site, though this fills very quickly on weekends. A new café, Actons, opened in 2015 in one of the restored courtyard buildings on site.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh/acton-cafe/|title=Acton Café {{!}} The National Botanic Gardens of Ireland|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-06}}</ref>
A café, Actons, opened in 2015 in one of the restored courtyard buildings on site.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh/acton-cafe/|title=Acton Café {{!}} The National Botanic Gardens of Ireland|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-06}}</ref> During the summer months there are free guided tours by the team working to restore and replant the gardens.

During the summer months there are free guided tours by the team working to restore and replant the gardens.{{AFC submission|t||ts=20190421145446|u=Darrendirl|ns=118|demo=}}<!-- Important, do not remove this line before article has been created. -->


== References ==
== References ==
Line 36: Line 56:
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


{{Coord|52.929327|-6.147796|display=title}}
{{AFC submission|||ts=20190706133140|u=Darrendirl|ns=118}}

{{Geography of County Wicklow|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Botanical gardens in Ireland]]
[[Category:Flora of Ireland]]
[[Category:County Wicklow articles missing geocoordinate data]]
[[Category:County Wicklow]]
[[Category:Gardens in County Wicklow]]

Latest revision as of 16:23, 10 January 2024

National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh
Garraithe Náisiúnta na Lus Cill Mochura
Map
TypeBotanic Garden
LocationKilmacurragh, Wicklow
Coordinates52°55′46″N 6°08′52″W / 52.929327°N 6.147796°W / 52.929327; -6.147796
Area21.04 ha (52.0 acres)
Created1712
Operated byOffice of Public Works
StatusOpen all year
Websitewww.botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh

The National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh (Irish: Garraithe Náisiúnta na Lus, Cill Mochura) is a garden and arboretum outside Wicklow Town, County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a satellite of the main National Botanic Gardens located in Glasnevin, County Dublin. The 52 acre gardens are situated 5 km from exit 18 on the M11 motorway.

The gardens were founded in 1712 as part of the Acton family estate who owned the land until 1940.[1] Today, the gardens are in State ownership through the Office of Public Works. They were acquired in 1976 by the Land commissioner and day-to-day management transferred to National Botanic Gardens in 1996.

History

[edit]

The story of Kilmacurragh stretches back beyond the establishment of the gardens to early Christian times when Saint Mochorog established a hermitage in the 7th century. A lake, part of which remains as a small pond, once existed as a fishing pond for a monastery that stood where the remains of the Acton family home stand today. This monastery was dissolved by Henry VII and the lands gifted to Thomas Acton I in lieu of wages.

Thomas Acton II (1655-1750) tore down the remaining monastery buildings in 1697 and used the stone to build the centrepiece Queen Anne style house. This house was one of the first unfortified houses of the time in County Wicklow and, while today it is in ruins, it is one of the few remaining early panelled houses in Ireland.

Thomas Acton III (1742-1817) inherited the estate in 1779 and decided to change the name of the estate from Kilmacurra to West Aston in 1750. When Thomas Acton IV inherited the Estate in 1854, he reverted his grandfathers name change and changed the estate’s name to Kilmacurragh, misspelling the original Kilmacurra. [2]

Thomas Acton IV and his sister Jane Acton were behind establishment of the current gardens. By the time they inherited the estate, it was over 150 years old, they quickly set about modernising it. The subscribing to plant hunting expeditions and utilising contacts in botanical gardens and nurseries around the globe to acquire exotic seeds for the gardens. The gardens were the showpiece of the rare Irish Queen Anne style house, the home of the Acton family.

The Rhododendron walks were developed through a friendship with David Moore the curator of the National Botanic Garden's at Glasnevin. This led to Kilmacurragh becoming the home to the national rhododendron collection.[3]

Further Kilmacurragh, whose acidic brown soil, low rainfall and mild winters, become the home of many specimens that were struggling or failing at Glasnevin. Many of the species grown in the gardens are so rare that they may be the only one or two of their kind in Europe or even the Northern Hemisphere.

Photo of the Acton family home in National Botanic Gardens Kilmacurragh
The remains of the Acton family home in National Botanic Gardens Kilmacurragh

These rare species include[4]

Mature monkey puzzle tree in National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh
Mature monkey puzzle tree in the gardens.

The house was abandoned in the 1920s but was later run as Kilmacurragh Park Hotel by Charles Budina. An ownership dispute led to the abandonment of the gardens until it was acquired by the Irish state in 1976.[5]

In 2021 it was announced that funds would be made available to restored the house under the national development plan[6] and in late 2023, planning permission was granted for these plans which will include reinstatement of the building's roof, restoration of its windows and doors, and the conservation of the external wall finishes.[7]

Facilities

[edit]
Map of Kilmacurragh National Botanical Gardens
Map of Kilmacurragh National Botanic Gardens

A café, Actons, opened in 2015 in one of the restored courtyard buildings on site.[8] During the summer months there are free guided tours by the team working to restore and replant the gardens.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "National Botanic Garden at Kilmacurragh – Wicklow County Tourism". Visit Wicklow. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  2. ^ "History | National Botanic Gardens of Ireland". Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Kilmacurragh Home | The National Botanic Gardens of Ireland". Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  4. ^ Thompson, Sylvia. "Kilmacurragh Arboretum: Ireland's secret garden". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  5. ^ Thompson, Sylvia. "Buildings at risk: Kilmacurragh House, Co Wicklow". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  6. ^ Society, Irish Georgian. ">Kilmacurragh House will be renovated under the renewed National Development Plan!". IGS Craft (en-IE). Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Plans to restore Wicklow's Kilmacurragh House take big step forward". Independent.ie. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Acton Café | The National Botanic Gardens of Ireland". Retrieved 6 July 2019.

52°55′46″N 6°08′52″W / 52.929327°N 6.147796°W / 52.929327; -6.147796

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Botanic_Gardens,_Kilmacurragh&oldid=1194759998"