Your Visit at Work

The conservation of the 61 carved limestone urns that crown the parapets of the main house, colonnades and East Wing has now been completed by O’Flaherty Stone.

The urns are an integral part of Richard Castle’s architectural composition, varying in scale and detail according to their position on the building. Many had deteriorated significantly, while a number had previously been removed for safety reasons. The project included the careful cleaning, consolidation and repair of surviving historic stonework, together with the carving of replacements where the original fabric had been lost beyond repair. The reinstatement of the urns has restored an important element of Russborough’s historic roofline and protected vulnerable stonework from further deterioration.

This project was made possible through the Historic Structures Fund, supported by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and administered by Wicklow County Council., along with support from The Apollo Foundation.

Work has now begun on the two principal external staircases and the basement areas surrounding the main house. The project is being undertaken by Classic Conservation and Restoration, with support from the Historic Structures Fund and he Apollo Foundation.

The broad granite staircases on the north and south fronts provide access to the principal floor of the house. Loss of mortar, movement of the stone steps and moisture entering the underlying brick structures have affected both their condition and safe use. The works will conserve and realign the granite steps, repair the supporting masonry and address deterioration to the carved balustrades and heraldic lions.

The adjoining basement areas also require urgent attention. Cement-based materials and concrete paving introduced during the twentieth century have contributed to poor drainage, water retention and rising damp. The current project will improve surface-water drainage, consolidate the masonry retaining walls and reinstate more appropriate, permeable materials and lime-based finishes.

As well as improving access and appearance, these works will address sources of moisture that threaten the historic fabric of the house.

Conservation of Russborough’s Main Entrance Gate has also continued, undertaken by Traditional Lime Plastering with support from the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and The Malone Family Foundation.

The gate forms part of Richard Castle’s original design for Russborough and marks the principal entrance to the demesne. Its central triumphal arch, pediment and flanking pedestrian gateways, create a building of considerable architectural importance in its own right. In 2024, with BHIS support, the roof elements and pediments were cleared of vegetation, cleaned, repaired and repointed with lime mortar. In out current phase of work, unsuitable 20^th century cement render, that has delaminated and contributed to the deterioration of the structure, has been removed. Its replacement with compatible lime-based materials will allow the walls to shed moisture while recovering an important element of the gate’s historic appearance.

It is hoped that a final phase of work to repair the stone façades and conserve the historic ironwork can be undertaken in 2026, if funding is available. The Built Heritage Investment Scheme is supported by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and administered locally by Wicklow County Council.

In October, Conservation Letterfrack will begin a programme of conservation work to the historic timber floors of Russborough’s principal ground-floor rooms. The project is supported by the Heritage Council’s Community Heritage Grants Scheme.

The geometric parquet floors in the Entrance Hall, Saloon, Music Room, Tapestry Room and Library, together with the oak-boarded floors and thresholds in the Dining Room and Drawing Room, are integral to Russborough’s historic interiors. Of particular importance is the elaborate walnut and satinwood parquet floor in the Saloon.

Although the floors retain a high proportion of historic material, they show the effects of age and use, including open joints, loose parquet elements, worn thresholds and failing earlier repairs. The conservation programme will stabilise vulnerable areas, investigate localised weakness in the supporting structures and repair damaged sections using compatible timber and traditional carpentry techniques. The guiding principle throughout will be to retain as much historic material as possible.

Essential repairs to the East Wing roof are being undertaken by P. Rooney Roofing. Investigative work identified deterioration to the roof valleys, leadwork and supporting timbers, together with drainage problems that were contributing to water ingress.

The project will repair the damaged timber structure, renew defective leadwork, improve rainwater drainage and reinstate the existing slates wherever possible. Associated work will also be carried out internally to provide a more effective drainage connection.

These repairs are essential to keeping the East Wing watertight and protecting its historic fabric and interiors. The project also draws upon specialist traditional roofing, leadworking and carpentry skills.

Projects of this scale could not be undertaken without external funding and the continuing support of those who visit Russborough. The Alfred Beit Foundation is deeply grateful to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Wicklow County Council and the Heritage Council for their investment in Russborough’s future.

These works also sustain the specialist knowledge required to care for historic buildings. Traditional stonemasonry, lime plastering, timber conservation, carpentry and roofing are practical skills developed through training and experience. Employing skilled craftspeople on major conservation projects helps to ensure that this knowledge remains active and can be passed to future generations.

Every visit to Russborough also contributes directly to the care of the house, collections and demesne. We thank our visitors, members, donors and supporters for helping to protect this exceptional place and to keep it open for everyone to enjoy.

Protecting the historic house
Russborough House is a large and complex historic structure that requires continuous maintenance alongside periodic major conservation projects. Visitor income plays a crucial role in addressing immediate risks while enabling long-term preservation.

Responding to climate pressures
Increased rainfall, wind, and storm events have led to a growing need for roof inspections, repairs, and preventative maintenance. Visitor income supports urgent post-storm works and planned interventions designed to reduce water ingress and long-term damage to the building fabric.

Windows and external fabric
Russborough has more than 200 historic windows, all of which require cyclical maintenance. Each year, visitor income supports the repair and repainting of approximately 40–50 windows. In the past year, this programme has also included targeted draught-proofing of windows in the main house, improving environmental stability for the collections while reducing energy consumption.

Heating and environmental control
The house operates a conservation heating system that runs continuously, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This system is essential to preserving both the historic fabric of the building and the collections within.
Visitor income contributes to the annual maintenance and repair of this system, including boilers, pumps, the building management system, and environmental monitoring equipment such as data loggers. Each year, components require servicing, repair, or replacement, representing a substantial and ongoing investment.

East Colonnade
In the past year, visitor support enabled the completion of conservation works to the East Colonnade, addressing extensive internal structural damage that posed a risk to both the building and visitors. This complex project required specialist investigation, structural repair, and skilled stonemasonry, and the works are now complete.

Architectural urns and reinstatement
Ongoing work to conserve and reinstate architectural urns forms part of a wider programme to repair and enhance the external fabric of the house. While conservation works to the urns are supported through external grants, including funding from the Apollo Foundation and the Historic Structures Fund, visitor income is vital in enabling these projects to proceed.

Visitor support allows Russborough to commission the specialist architectural, conservation, and engineering assessments required to develop grant applications and compliant conservation proposals. As a Grade I listed building, works often require statutory approvals, including planning permission and specialist reports. Visitor income underwrites this essential preparatory work, without which grant-funded conservation projects could not progress.

Collections and Learning in Practice
Visitor income plays a vital role in the care, understanding, and sharing of Russborough’s collections. It supports preventative conservation, specialist cleaning, condition monitoring, and environmental management, helping to protect paintings, furniture, sculpture, and decorative arts for the long term. Stable temperature and humidity levels are carefully monitored and analysed daily to ensure the house provides the right conditions for these works to remain on display.

Visitor support also underpins education and access initiatives that make the collections meaningful to a wide range of audiences. Over the past year, this has included the professional photography and cataloguing of the eighteenth-century porcelain collection, now available online to support research and public access. Digitisation has also informed new Smartify content, enhancing object-based interpretation, audio tours, and digital learning. Alongside this, new curriculum-linked school resources have been developed, supporting inclusive learning across a range of ages and abilities. Guided tours, staff training, and interpretive materials ensure that conservation, research, and learning are clearly shared with visitors, both on site and online.

Severe weather is now a regular part of caring for the estate. After Storm Eowyn, the grounds team undertook extensive clearance works across the parklands, removing fallen and compromised trees along pathways and visitor routes.

This included the careful removal of a multi-stemmed Western red cedar at Lady Island, along with other storm-damaged trees, ensuring paths could reopen safely and the wider landscape could recover.

One of the most visible transformations in recent seasons has been along the main avenue. Over time, fast-growing laurel and snowberry had become dense and invasive, blocking light and obscuring the formal tree plantings that define the approach to the house.

With specialist equipment, large areas of undergrowth were cleared, restoring long views and re-revealing the original structure of the avenue. The result is a more open, legible landscape — and a renewed sense of arrival for visitors.

Similar work near the coach road entrance has reopened views towards the lower pond, while clearance in the woodland garden has created space for healthier growth and a more balanced environment.

Across the estate, growth is constant — and managing it is a year-round task.

Recent works have included:

• Annual cutting of the beech hedge maze

• Reshaping the Victorian-style laurel lawns along the sandy walk to the walled garden

• Removal of ivy from maze hedges, with help from Transition Year students

• Replacing a willow hedge in the playground maze where safety had become a concern

These interventions help keep historic features legible, accessible, and safe — particularly in areas used by families and children.