Russborough Landscape & Estate:
The Demense
Russborough is of exceptional historic significance and remains an almost intact surviving example of an 18th century Irish demesne. There are few remaining Irish 18th century landscapes contemporary with Russborough’s designed landscape. The endurance of this composition, containing a diversity of structures and features, is remarkable, given that so many others have succumbed to irreversible changes or obliteration during the 20th century.
Rocque's survey map of 1760 depict extensive formal and informal plantations, a series of terraces, rides and walks, a walled garden, extensive yards associated with the house, sunken fences (ha-has), a complex of watercourses and ponds, and a strong axial layout are all discernible.
c.1800, indicates the existence of a Moss-house, Icehouse, Limekiln, walled gardens and Lady’s Island and moat, fishponds, obelisk gateways to the Front Lawn, a Back Lawn and an apsidal shaped Upper Lawn bounded by the upper woodland, and a Palladian Triumph Arch as the entrance to the main carriage drive. (Click for a Map of Demesne)
Environs of the House
The environs of the house are defined by the presence of two ha-ha ditches. Their purpose was to define and separate the grounds used for pleasure and entertainment from the meadows and grazing fields. More importantly it prevented incursion by livestock without the necessity of using a conventional fence or parkland rail to exclude them and it ensured an invisible barrier so views across the landscape were not interrupted or perspective foreshortened. The ha-ha ditch and railing in front and rear of the house still survive and is an important element in the functionality of the landscape. The use of a pair of granite obelisks as the field gates on the front façade marks out this ha-ha as a feature of particular beauty and elegance in the landscape
The environs of the main carriage drive are well planted and the walled garden is well screened by trees and shrubbery along its exterior wall. The small pleasure ground along the route to the walled garden has an intimate atmosphere. It occupies the area to the south of the main entrance drive and contains many specimen trees, lime, beech, Scots pines and flowering shrubs. In spring it is carpeted with flowering bulbs and perennials in the sylvan setting.
Walled Garden
The Walled Garden is contemporary with the house but its layout and extent has changed since its first depiction on the map of 1760. A second walled garden previously existed and its site is now an open grazing field. It still bears good evidence as to how it must have been in its heyday when its produce fed an entire household and also provided the Dublin market. Its representation on the 1838 and later ordnance survey maps gives a clear picture of how it was then. It still operates as a traditional kitchen garden, though half has been put down to grass and now used as a bawn for sheep. In the working half its paths, borders and rotation plots still grow a range of vegetable crops and the old fruit trees still yield crops. The range of buildings in the walled garden include a peach house, a curvilinear conservatory, potting shed, three vernacular greenhouses, one of which is on the site of what was probably a vinery.
 Anne's Garden
A small enclosed garden in a yard to the west of the house contains hybrid tea roses, a few shrubs and climbing plants. It also contains some stone artifacts and a roofed shelter or pavilion. From its style of planting it appears to date from the mid 20th century and a sketch plan indicates this date
The Landscape
Shelter belts of trees were originally planted to protect the demesne from wind and exposure and remnants of these belts still survive. These belts of trees surrounded and protected the grazing fields, meadows, the walled gardens and the house which sits in the centre of the demesne. Some trees surviving today are remnants of those groves, notably beech, lime and oak. Many of the original parkland trees recorded on the old maps have disappeared but many venerable specimens survive, despite the ravages of time, weather and livestock.
There are some particular features within the grounds and gardens that are not Georgian but Victorian or Edwardian, or perhaps later, however all these features reflect the natural evolution of the demesne
Walking Route
Since The Alfred Beit Foundation took ownership of Russborough in 1976 the demesne and was opened to the public, a walking route was marked out for visitors, following a circuit through the grounds and walled garden, around Lady’s Island and along an old carriage route towards the ponds and back towards the house. This route skirts along the end of the ponds with wild rhododendron, birch and willow choking the watercourse and then winds its way back to the house overlooking some fields with sheep and fine trees. (see map...)
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