Shankill Castle
Encyclopedia
Shankill Castle and Gardens is set in parkland near Paulstown
on the Carlow
/Kilkenny
border. Visitors are invited to walk in the grounds and gardens, and there are guided tours of the house.
Shankill Castle started as a Bulter tower-house near the ruins of an old church. Peter Aylward bought the lands from his wife's family, the Butlers, in 1708, and it was rebuilt and set in a formal landscape with a vista to the front and canal to the rear. In the 19th century, it was enlarged and castellated, serpentine bays added to the canal and an unusual polyhedral sundial given pride of place on a sunken lawn. Other additions were a gothic porch bearing the Aylward crest and a conservatory. The stable-yard and the castellated entrance to the demesne are attributed to Daniel Robertson. The interior preserves much of its 18th century character and features including a Georgian staircase, Gothic plasterwork and a Victorian drawing room.
A branch of the Butler family, the Toler-Aylwards resided at Shankill until 1991 and some still live in the area of Kilkenny. Shankill is now home to the artist Elizabeth Cope.
Around Shankill Castle Gardens there are 3 significant trees which are included in the Tree Register of Ireland, compiled by the Tree Council of Ireland
. These include a Common Lime, a Wellingtonia Giant Sequoia and two Monterey Cypress
.
Paulstown
Paulstown is a small village in County Kilkenny in Ireland.Paulstown is located at the junction of the N9 and N10 National primary roads. It is 21 km south of Carlow and 19 km east of Kilkenny....
on the Carlow
Carlow
Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...
/Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
border. Visitors are invited to walk in the grounds and gardens, and there are guided tours of the house.
Shankill Castle started as a Bulter tower-house near the ruins of an old church. Peter Aylward bought the lands from his wife's family, the Butlers, in 1708, and it was rebuilt and set in a formal landscape with a vista to the front and canal to the rear. In the 19th century, it was enlarged and castellated, serpentine bays added to the canal and an unusual polyhedral sundial given pride of place on a sunken lawn. Other additions were a gothic porch bearing the Aylward crest and a conservatory. The stable-yard and the castellated entrance to the demesne are attributed to Daniel Robertson. The interior preserves much of its 18th century character and features including a Georgian staircase, Gothic plasterwork and a Victorian drawing room.
A branch of the Butler family, the Toler-Aylwards resided at Shankill until 1991 and some still live in the area of Kilkenny. Shankill is now home to the artist Elizabeth Cope.
Garden
In the garden there are remnants of 18th century lime alles, 19th century laurel lawns. There are some Victorian favourites such as the now gigantic Sequoias and 20th century, self-sown ash trees. The moated garden, once a rose garden then forgotten and planted with Sitka spruces is now a spring garden, and the graveyard blooms all year round. The walled garden has an apple arch under-planted with red tulips and some antique goblet-shaped pear trees trained against a mellow brick wall.Around Shankill Castle Gardens there are 3 significant trees which are included in the Tree Register of Ireland, compiled by the Tree Council of Ireland
Tree Council of Ireland
The Tree Council of Ireland is a voluntary non-governmental organisation. It was formed in 1985 as an umbrella body linking fifty organisations. Its aim is to promote the planting, care and conservation of trees in Ireland, through the fostering of a tree and wood culture among Irish people.Its...
. These include a Common Lime, a Wellingtonia Giant Sequoia and two Monterey Cypress
Cupressus macrocarpa
Cupressus macrocarpa, commonly known as Monterey Cypress or Macrocarpa, is a species of cypress that is endemic to the Central Coast of California. In the wild, the species is confined to two small populations, near Monterey and Carmel, California. These two small populations represent what was...
.
See also
- Gardens in IrelandGardens in the Republic of IrelandList of gardens in the Republic of Ireland open to the public:*Avondale House, *Altamont Gardens, *Bay Garden, *Belvedere House and Gardens, *Birr Castle, *Butterstream, now closed indefinitely *Camas Park*Coolaught Gardens, *Dillon Garden, *Derreen,...
- Gardens in Northern IrelandGardens in Northern IrelandGardens in Northern Ireland is a link page for any garden open to the public in Northern Ireland.List of gardens in Northern Ireland:*Belfast Botanic Gardens*Clandeboye Estate, Bangor, County Down*Drenagh, Limavady, County Londonderry...
- Historic Cork GardensHistoric Cork Gardens-Annes Grove Gardens:Started by Richard Grove Annesley, in the grounds of a house near Fermoy dating from the early eighteenth century. Home to many Himalayan rhododendrons, some from seeds collected by Captain Frank Kingdon-Ward in Burma and Tibet in 1924...