Airfield Estate

Om museet

Airfield has been the home of the Overend family since 1894, when the Dublin solicitor Trevor Overend moved in with his wife and daughters. His daughters Letitia and Naomi grew up to run the farm, trade cattle and look after their own cars, and became well-known figures in the neighbourhood. They are remembered above all for their charity: they gave respite care to injured soldiers in two world wars, supplied pasteurised milk from their Jersey herd to a depot for Dublin children, and funded a home for children with rickets that is now the Laura Lynn Foundation.

In 1974 Letitia and Naomi left the 38-acre estate in trust to the people of Ireland. The gardens opened to the public in 1999 and were redeveloped in 2012. Today the estate is run by a charity with a focus on food, farming and sustainability, and combines a working dairy and livestock farm, about six acres of ornamental and organic gardens, a restaurant and a farmers' market.

The family's story is told in Airfield House, which is visited on a daily guided tour or independently with an audio guide. The exhibition shows family photographs, letters, clothing, toys and books, material about the prize-winning Jersey herd and the sisters' travels. A garage holds the sisters' vintage cars, including Letitia's 1927 Rolls-Royce, which was restored from 2022 with support from the Heritage Council. In 2024 a new film about the family and an interactive display called Dining Through the Decades were added with Heritage Council funding.

Højdepunkter

• Airfield House heritage tour and exhibition on the Overend family, with photographs, letters and clothing
• Vintage car garage with a 1927 Rolls-Royce, an Austin Tickford and a Peugeot Quadrilette
• Working farm with a Jersey herd, milking demonstrations at weekends and daily animal talks
• About six acres of ornamental and organic gardens, including a restored Victorian glasshouse
• Audio guides in five languages and an interactive heritage experience

Permanente udstillinger

• Airfield House Heritage Tour and Exhibition – A guided or self-guided visit to the Overend family home with photographs, letters, original clothing, toys and books, plus displays on the Jersey herd and the sisters' charity work.
• Vintage Car Garage – The sisters' cars, including Letitia's 1927 Rolls-Royce, Naomi's Austin Tickford and their mother's Peugeot Quadrilette.
• Dining Through the Decades – An interactive exhibition about the food history of the estate, added in 2024 with Heritage Council funding together with a new film about the Overend family.

Ejer

Airfield Trust

Entrépriser & rabatter

Admission includes the farm, gardens, the daily activities and the Airfield House tour and exhibition. Carers and children aged 2 and under are free. Tickets can be bought online or at the gate; booking ahead is recommended. Tesco Clubcard vouchers can be exchanged for a code that is accepted at the ticket desk.

Tilgængelighed

• Delvis kørestolsvenlig
• Elevator: ingen oplysninger
• Handicaptoilet
• Handicapparkering
• Servicehunde tilladt
• Taktile tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Rundvisninger på tegnsprog: ingen oplysninger
• Letlæste tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Synstolkning: ingen oplysninger

The estate describes itself as wheelchair friendly and has level access to many areas. Garden paths can be sloping, narrow or loose, farmyard surfaces uneven and the historic house may have thresholds, steps or narrow corridors. Accessible toilets and baby-changing facilities are available across the site, and rest benches are provided. Accessible bays or drop-off help can be arranged on arrival, and visitors with mobility aids or other needs are asked to tell the estate beforehand. Large-print or alternative-format maps are available on request, a quieter time is suggested on weekday mornings, and the estate has an autism-friendly accreditation.

Børn og familie

Velegnet til børn og familier

• Familieomvisninger & workshops
• Interaktive stationer
• Puslerum
• Børnefødselsdage

The farm and gardens are aimed at families, with daily animal and farm talks, weekend milking and milk tasting, craft sessions, story time and seasonal family events. Cookery and nature camps for children run in school holidays, and children's birthday parties can be booked.

Transport & parkering

By car, leave the M50 at junction 13 and follow the R826 to Overend Way.

Service & spisesteder

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museumsbutik

Overends Kitchen is a restaurant using produce from the farm and gardens, and the Stables Café inside the admission area serves hot drinks and snacks. There is also a garden centre, a weekly farmers' market and a shop. There is no cash machine on the estate; the nearest is at the newsagent by the Balally Luas stop.

Arrangementer & udlejning

• Lokaler til leje
• Private fester
• Firmaarrangementer
• Bryllupper / vielser

Weddings, meetings, corporate events, private dining, cooking classes and children's birthday parties can be arranged.

Planlæg dit besøg