Walled garden

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated at the bottom of a S-facing slope on the SW foothills of the Lough Crew Hills. The Plunkett land at Loughcrew was acquired by the Naper family in the 1650s, and they built a house (ME015-119003-) close to the church (ME015-027----). A walled garden was also built and is marked on a map of 1778 where it is divided into four sections (Hanly 1965, Pl. 2). On the 1836 ed. of the OS 6-inch map it is divided into small rectangular and triangular sections, probably for vegetables. It is now a grass-covered rectangular area (dims c. 140m N-S; c. 140m E-W) defined by high masonry walls (H c. 4m). When the Naper house was removed after 1778 a gateway from the house was built into the centre of the S side of the garden as an ornamental gateway, and was in place by 1836. It has recently been restored with the gardens. It is a rounded limestone arch (Wth 1.66m; H c. 3m) with two mouldings on the arch that do not descend to the ground but stop c. 2m over it. On either side rectangular piers are attached to the wall (H c. 2m) and these support columns with Ionian capitals, which in turn support a frieze that is surmounted by a stone with the date 1673. Outside the pillars there are two recesses in the wall of the garden.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 12 December, 2014

References

Hanly, J. 1965 Oldcastle and Loughcrew 1788. Ríocht na Mídhe, vol. 3, 3, 249-52.