House of the week

More Grimm Brothers Fairytales than grim in style is the Gatelodge — and its gardens — at the former Wicklow estate of Lord Edward Fitzgerald.

That family ownership links it squarely, albeit modestly, to the great estates of the Dukes of Leinster and the likes of Carlton House, as well as the Fitzgerald family’s summer residence of Frascati House in Dublin’s Blackrock.

Now, it’s quite possible that a ‘Leinster Fitzgerald’ never even set a foot inside this picturesque gatelodge at any time in its long past, although it is now at least owned by a Fitzgerald. It’s been made over by owner, Limerick-born ‘hairdresser to the stars,’ Aidan Fitzgerald, who has a salon in Blackrock, and regular TV appearances on fashion and make-over programmes.