Florence Court

Over het museum

Florence Court was the country home of the Cole family, later the Earls of Enniskillen, for more than 250 years. The Coles rose from military adventurers who took part in the Plantation of Ulster to the leading landowners of Fermanagh. The house takes its name from Florence Wrey, who married Sir John Cole in 1707; her wealth helped to pay for a country seat set below the distinctive outline of Benaughlin Mountain.

The present house is largely the work of their son John, 1st Baron Mountflorence, who rebuilt it on a grander scale in the 1750s and 1760s. The central block, finished by about 1764, was joined by arcaded wings and pavilions holding stables, kitchens and service rooms, a layout influenced by Palladian villas. The interiors are known for their Rococo plasterwork, especially in the dining room, drawing room and stair hall. In 1955 a fire destroyed the upper floors and much of the interior, and the house was restored afterwards.

The fifth Earl gave the house to the National Trust in 1953 and it opened to the public the following year. The grounds include pleasure grounds with views of the mountain, a thatched summerhouse called the Heather House, a walled garden with an orchard of heritage apple trees, and a kitchen garden being restored to its 1930s layout. A tree in the woods is the original Irish yew, from which almost every Irish yew in the world descends.

Hoogtepunten

• Mansion with Rococo plasterwork in the main rooms
• The original Irish yew, parent of Irish yews worldwide
• Kitchen garden being restored to its 1930s layout
• Walled garden with an Irish apple orchard of heritage trees
• Pleasure grounds with views of Benaughlin Mountain
• Blue and Red trails through the forest park

Vaste collectie

• The mansion – An eighteenth-century country house with Rococo plasterwork, visited by guided tour, telling the story of the Cole family and their staff.
• Walled garden and kitchen garden – A historic walled garden with an Irish apple orchard and a kitchen garden restored to its 1930s layout.
• Pleasure grounds and trails – Pleasure grounds with a thatched summerhouse, the original Irish yew, and the Blue and Red trails through the forest park.

Beheerder

National Trust

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices are standard admission without Gift Aid (2026; whole property adult £15.00); tickets with Gift Aid cost 10 per cent more (whole property: adult £16.50, child £8.30, family £41.30; grounds only: adult £10.50, child £5.30, family £26.20). The grounds-only ticket applies when the house is closed. Entry is free for National Trust members. Guided house tours are booked on arrival, subject to availability.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The grounds are mainly gravel and grass paths with undulating terrain, and designated accessible routes are marked; there is level access around the visitor centre, the walled garden and the kitchen garden, and the Blue Trail is suitable for mobility scooters. A ramp leads to the front of the mansion, and a buggy takes visitors from the visitor centre to the house for tours. A mobility scooter and a wheelchair for house tours can be booked by phone. A recorded video tour in the tea-room is offered to visitors who cannot use the stairs of the mansion. Some corridors in the house are narrow, and the courtyards are cobbled. Accessible toilets are in the visitor centre and the stableyard, an induction loop is fitted in the visitor centre, and there is level access to the tea-room. Blue Badge parking is at the visitor centre and opposite the bookshop beside the mansion.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek

A play area behind the house has rope swings, a slide, swings and a natural play area, and families have built dens along the Red Trail. Tracker packs for bug hunting, butterfly catching and pond dipping can be borrowed for a small refundable deposit. Baby changing is in the accessible toilets in the visitor centre, and there is a parent changing room in the stableyard. Under-5s are free, and children must be supervised near the water features.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Florence Court is 8 miles south-west of Enniskillen via the A4 Sligo road and the A32 Swanlinbar road, and 4 miles from Marble Arch Caves. The estate is entered through the Grand Gates on Mill Road and left via the Forest Park onto the Marble Arch Road. National Cycle Network route 91 passes the estate, whose entrance is on the Kingfisher Trail.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel

Stables Tea-room in the stableyard (run by a local caterer) with indoor and outdoor seating, and a volunteer-run second-hand bookshop whose sales support conservation. Picnic tables are beside the car park, at the visitor centre and in the playground.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Bruiloften / trouwceremonies

The property is listed as licensed for civil weddings; no further hire details were found on the property page.

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