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Burtown House and Gardens

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

Burtown House and Gardens reopened their Gardens on Wednesday 20th May.

The gardens will open from Wednesday to Sunday and the Green barn Restaurant, pantry and farm Stall will open from Wednesday 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 have added a pizza menu, please check their website for details at www.burtownhouse.ie

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

Contact Details

T: 059-8623148
E: info@burtownhouse.ie
W: www.burtownhouse.ie

Address

Athy, Co. Kildare

GPS

Latitude: 52.996672 | Longitude: -6.870744

How to Find Us

From Dublin / Waterford take exit 3 on M9 motorway and follow signs for Athy. Take the second left turn and Burtown House is on the left, well signposted.

Opening Hours

February – July 11.00am – 5.30pm, Wednesday – Sunday and Bank Holidays.
From July onwards the Green Barn will open and accordingly the gardens will be available to visit from 11am – 8.30pm Wednesday – Sunday and Bank Holidays. Snowdrop Month – February.

Admission

Adults €8, children €4, under 8 free

Facilities

Car park, toilets, restaurant, artisan food and retail shop and plant sales. The Green Barn serving scrumptious lunches based on fresh seasonal produce from the organic kitchen garden will open in July 2016. Booking is recommended. Group bookings possible all year round.