Burtown House gardens are made up of several areas including large herbaceous borders, shrubberies, a rock garden, a yew walk with dividing pergola, an old orchard, a more formal stable yard garden and a large woodland surrounded on all sides by water. This area hosts a collection of candleabra primulas, hostas, ferns and iris, amongst other plants. There are many old roses, peonies, clematis and a walled organic vegetable garden that has been in continuous production for 150 years. Once the centre of a 2,000-acre estate and built for the Quaker Robert Power about 1710, Burtown is close to the village of Ballytore, one of Ireland’s most prominent Quaker strongholds.
Isabel Shackleton (married to the present owner’s great grandfather and first cousin to the explorer Ernest Shackleton) is responsible for some of the original layout, but over the last 20 years it has been greatly enlarged and reclaimed by the present owner, artist Lesley Fennell. Visitors can take a break from their garden visit to enjoy homemade biscuits, cakes or scones with homemade lemonade and apple juice from the orchard. Lunches are served every day that it is open, using fresh seasonal produce from the organic kitchen garden, which can be eaten in the gallery space, the picturesque yard or at one of the tables discreetly placed about the garden.
COVID 19
Under the Government’s approved Phase 1 of easing of Covid-19 restrictions from Monday 18th May 2020, please note:
Burtown House and Gardens is reopening their Gardens on Wednesday 20th May and their café for take-away food, pantry and farm stall.
The gardens will open from Wednesday to Sunday and the Green barn Restaurant, pantry and farm Stall will open from Friday to Sunday. Burtown House & Gardens have installed picnic benches throughout their sculptured gardens, adhering to the social distancing protocol ad guidelines. The Green Barn Restaurant is developing their picnic menu and will be adding a pizza menu in the coming weeks. Please note: The Green Barn Restaurant is strictly take-away only.
Please check for further updates on Burtown House & Gardens on their website at www.burtownhouse.ie or email info@burtownhouse.ie or phone 059 8623865 and check the Carlow Tourism website.
Please continue to check the HSE website https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/ for further updates and continue to monitor our social media pages
