Location: Enniskerry, County Wicklow Map
Constructed: 1731- 41
Tel. 01 204 6000
Bus: 185 from Bart DART station
Open: 9:30am- 5:30pm (dusk Oct- Mar) daily
Closed: 25th & 26th December
Powerscourt Estate is a magnificent residence in
Enniskerry, County Wicklow in Ireland. Powerscourt Estate was
constructed in 1731- 41. It was commissioned around 1730; further
ornamental gardens were added in the middle of the 19th century on
behalf of the 7th Viscount. Particularly noteworthy parts of the
complex are the Italian and Japanese gardens, the staircase between
the Manor and Lake Triton, the "Pepper Pot Tower" (a small tower
from 1911) and the Bamberg Gate (a gate from the Bamberg Cathedral).
The small pet cemetery on which dogs, cats, ponies, horses and cows
have been buried – some for 90 years – is also remarkable.
The Powerscourt mansion, located in the middle of the gardens, built
around an older building around 1730, according to Richard Cassel's
designs, completely burnt out inside in 1974. Meanwhile, a
renovation is underway, which is largely completed. The manor house,
which was reopened in 1997, is now partly a Museum (impressive
documents on the fire and reconstruction are also shown), other
parts are used for events and for shops. In the manor house and on
the grounds, among other things, boutiques and a garden center
today. There is also a golf course on the premises.
Near the garden (about an hour's walk, separate entrance) is the
Powerscourt Waterfall (Eas Chúirt an Phaoraigh) - the highest in
Ireland. According to various sources, the river Dargle falls
between 90 and 130 m above a granite rock.