One of Ireland's great country estates to open to public in North Cork

Thirty acres of gardens at Annes Grove House near Castletownroche are to open to the public

Annes Grove House in Castletownroche is now due to be renovated after its gardens were restored.

The magnificent gardens of one of Ireland’s great country estates are set to open to the public and draw thousands of visitors to North Cork following a painstaking five-year restoration project.

And plans to restore the historic Annes Grove House building itself are at an advanced stage, with a planning application due this year.

The details were confirmed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) as it opened some 30-acres of gardens at Annes Grove House near Castletownroche to the public.

It has spent the last five years restoring the fragile environments of the 190-acre estate’s walled and woodland gardens, featuring several exotic blooms grown from seeds collected by the famous plant-hunter Frank Kingdon-Ward on his expeditions to Burma, Yunnan Province, Tibet and Bhutan, while the restoration of its exotic, sub-tropical riverside garden, which features a jungle of bamboos, gunnera, skunk cabbage and Himalayan primulas, continues.

Several outbuildings have been restored and will host a number of events during the summer.

The estate, home to the Annesley family since the 1700s, was donated to the State by Jane and Patrick Grove Annesley in late 2015.

Mr Annesley, who was among the guests at the official garden opening, said he was delighted to see it happen just as rare rhododendrons, including some of the earliest introduced to Ireland, magnolia and cherry trees are poised to burst into full bloom.

“I’ve seen how much hard work the gardening team has been putting into preparing for this,” he said.

Annes Grove has a long tradition of welcoming visitors and it was a great sadness for my family when we had no alternative but to close its gates in 2009.

“I know that the OPW is now developing an exciting vision for the future of Annes Grove, involving not just the gardens but also creative uses for the house and surrounding buildings, so that the value of the whole property both to the local community and to visitors from further afield will continue to increase as years go by.” 

Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW Patrick O’Donovan said the agency was on track to lodge a planning application this year for the conservation of the main house, ancillary buildings in the farmyard, and for car and bus parking and staff facilities.

Annes Grove gardens are accessible by paid guided tour only from April 8 to September 22.