Ducketts Grove
Encyclopedia
Duckett's Grove is ruins of the 18th-, 19th- and early 20th-century home of the Duckett family, which was formerly at the centre of a 12000 acres (48.6 km²) estate, that has dominated the landscape of Carlow
Carlow
Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...

, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 for over 300 years.

History

Duckett's Grove was built in 1830 by William Duckett in an estate covering more than 5000 acres (20.2 km²) of the Carlow
Carlow
Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...

 countryside. It was designed in a Castellated Gothic revival style by Thomas A. Cobden for John Davidson Duckett circa 1825. The building incorporates numerous towers and turrets of varying shapes – round, square and octagonal. One tall octagonal turret rises from the structure. Duckett’s Grove is elaborately ornamented with oriels and niches containing statues. Several statues on pedestals surrounded the building and lined the approaches.
The house itself is situated in the townland of Rainstown, between Carlow
Carlow
Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...

 and Tullow
Tullow
Tullow is a town in County Carlow, Ireland. It is located on the River Slaney where the N81 road intersects with the R762.-History:There is a statue of Father John Murphy, one of the leaders of the 1798 Rebellion, who was captured near Tullow and executed in the Market Square on 2 July...

 but the estate comprised several large townlands and parts of others. Following the departure of the Ducketts the estate was managed by an agent until 1921 then by local farmers and later by the Land Commission. The division of the lands was completed by 1930. Duckett’s Grove was destroyed by fire in April 1933 but the cause of the fire has not been determined.

Current use

In September 2005, Carlow county council acquired Duckett’s Grove and commenced with the restoration of two inter-connecting walled gardens. It was officially opened in September 2007 for use as a public park.

The first of the gardens, The Upper Walled Garden, has been planted with historical varieties of shrub roses and a collection of Chinese and Japanese peonies. It is mainly planted with flowering shrubs including Echium
Echium
Echium is a genus of 60 species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae.The type species is Echium vulgare, viper's bugloss. Species of Echium are native to North Africa, Europe, Madeira and the Canary Islands, but have also become invasive in southern Africa and Australia...

, Watsonia
Watsonia (plant)
Watsonia is a genus of plants in the iris family, subfamily Crocoideae, native to South Africa. The genus is named after Sir William Watson, an 18th century British botanist....

, Acanthus, Jovellana, Daphniphyllum
Daphniphyllum
Daphniphyllum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Daphniphyllaceae, including about 25 species, all evergreen shrubs and trees native to east and southeast Asia...

, Acradenia
Acradenia
Acradenia is a genus of trees comprising two species from Australia:*Acradenia euodiiformis T.G.Hartley, native to New South Wales and Queensland....

, Arbutus
Arbutus
Arbutus is a genus of at least 14 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to warm temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, and North America.-Description:...

, Cornus, Iris
Iris (plant)
Iris is a genus of 260-300species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species...

, Eryngium
Eryngium
Eryngium is a genus in the family Apiaceae of about 230 species of annuals and perennials with hairless and usually spiny leaves, and dome-shaped umbels of flowers resembling those of thistles. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the centre of diversity in South America. Some species...

, Beschorneria
Beschorneria
Beschorneria is a genus of succulent plants belonging to the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae, native to Mexico.Species include:*Beschorneria albiflora Matuda*Beschorneria bracteata Jacobi*Beschorneria calcicola A.García-Mendoza...

, Euporbia
and ornamental bananas.

The second garden, the Lower Walled Garden, which was once the site of the family old orchard, now contains a variety of fruits, including figs and historical varieties of Irish apples. The borders were planted to contain a variety of shrubs and perennials.
On March 17th 2011, Duckett’s Grove was featured in an episode of SyFy's show "Destination Truth" during a 4 hour live investigation special to find out if the ruins are haunted by a Banshee Ghost.

External links

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