Huntington Castle and Gardens

Om museet

Huntington Castle was built in 1625 by Sir Laurence Esmonde as a garrison on the route between Wexford and Dublin. He had served as a soldier under Elizabeth I and later as governor of Duncannon Fort, and was made Lord Esmonde of Clonegal. After about fifty years the soldiers left, and the building gradually became a family home.

From 1680 the former garrison was known as Huntington. Later generations added a wing and ornate ceilings in 1720, and in the 1860s Alexander Durdin altered the castle again. Through marriage the owners became the Durdin Robertson family, who still live here, and Manning Durdin Robertson added the conservatory balcony and greenhouse in concrete.

In the 1970s the family converted the basement into a temple of the Egyptian goddess Isis. The temple and an old holy well in the dungeons are normally closed and can be seen only on the guided tour, which also includes the living quarters and formal rooms and takes about 40 minutes.

The grounds contain formal gardens laid out in the 1680s, restored water gardens, a lime avenue and an old yew walk. The current owners opened the tea rooms in a 17th-century barn in 2010 and welcome visitors to the estate.

Højdepunkter

• Guided tour of the castle’s living quarters and formal rooms
• Temple of the Goddess Isis in the basement
• Historic formal gardens and water gardens from the 1680s
• Lime avenue and ancient yew walk
• Tea rooms and woodland playground

Permanent udstilling

• Castle tour with the Temple of the Goddess – A guided tour of the family home, its formal rooms and the basement temple of Isis and the old holy well.

Ejer

Durdin Robertson family

Entrépriser & rabatter

The prices are for the guided castle tour. A separate garden ticket is needed for the gardens and woodland playground; its price is shown when booking online.

Tilgængelighed

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

The castle tours are not wheelchair accessible or suitable for pushchairs because of several staircases and tight corridors. No dogs or picnics are allowed on the estate.

Børn og familie

Velegnet til børn og familier

• Barnevognsvenlig: findes ikke
• Legeplads / legehjørne

A woodland playground with an obstacle course, play huts and swings is open to visitors with a garden ticket. The castle tour is not suitable for pushchairs.

Transport & parkering

The estate is in the village of Clonegal, at the end of the Wicklow Way.

Service & spisesteder

• Café
• Restaurant: findes ikke
• Museumsbutik

The tea rooms and gift shop are in a 17th-century barn and serve coffee, cakes and scones; the shop sells books, gifts and local food.

Arrangementer & udlejning

• Lokaler til leje
• Private fester
• Bryllupper / vielser

Weddings are held in the 14th-century abbey on the estate, and private events can be arranged. The castle is also offered for filming.

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