Page 29 - 0FINAL Neo Gothic Church 1754 Report compressed

www. architect.crimmins.ie Conservation Appraisal of Walled Garden and Historic landscape of Kylemore Abbey 29 CA THAL CRIMMINS AR CHITECT

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The Glasshouse Border,
Parterre Beds, Terrace
Beds and Pergola

Jupp and Mc Erlan’s report notes. construction consisting of a square slopes up also. The central tier is 0.30m made locally. They all bear an arrangement. They were densely
surrounded by paths. The square is [1 ft] above the middle tier and is 2.74m embossed stamp `JA Stephens, Galway’. overgrown and partial clearance Some drainage issues noted as ponding
THE GLASS HOUSE BORDER
quartered into 4 spandrel beds with [9ft] in diameter and forms a central Each column was originally fitted with allowed the bedding pattern to be on the gravel was evident.
Around the base of the glass-house walkways and a central raised bed. platform aro4nd the Cordyline. four tension wires hooked on the top observed. The most dominant surviving
walls are narrow borders which are One of the Lawrence photographs landscaping carried out in the creation and bottom of the column to provide feature of their former layout are 2 ..
banked up against the walls. That on shows the beds edged with iron hoops. of the garden involved scarping this support for climbers. Some still remain. mature Cordylines symmetrically
the north is 22.25m [73ft] long and The parterre can be entered via 4 paths area to form a level surface on top of Excavation around the base of north placed at either end. The composition
1.37m [4ft 6in] wide, while on the east at the midpoints of the sides. These which the top soil was then deposited east column, in the north east spandrel consists of a rectangle with semi-
and west they are 21 m [69ft] long and are 1.52m [5 ft] wide and lend to a for the beds. • showed its base to be firmly bolted circular projections at either end.
1.22m [4ft] wide. They all slope up slightly sunken central circular into a large boulder. Presumably the Overall the feature measures 40.03m
approx. 0.45m [1ft 6in] high to the base pathway of the same width. The paths The 1905 article in the Gardeners others are similarly secured and that [90ft] from east to west and is 8.20m
Chronicle provides very good
of the wall. Some cultivated plants are were surfaced in local gravel. The information on the general planting up this firm foundation has ensured that [27ft] wide. The symmetrically arranged
present amid the dense natural growth spandrel beds measure 8.23m [27 ft] by they all still stand in a vertical position beds are cut into grass and consist of
but none seem original. A mention of a 7m [2311] and are further subdivided of the beds but there is no specific today. All the arches are also in good a central circular raised bed 2.9m [9ft]
mention of the planting within the
margin of Sedum spectacle around the into 3 sub-rectangular or curvilinear parterre. The nature of this and the condition except for a bend in the one in diameter surrounded by a narrow
base of the walls at the back of a beds. These beds are cut into the grass located at the south east. One of the ring depression 0.45m [1ft 6in] wide.
flower border in the article in the Irish leaving grass paths 0.91 [3 ft] wide to bedding out regime which was Lawrence photographs shows hanging Grass walkways 0.76m [2ft 6in] wide
followed should make it fairly easy to
Builder 1872 may refer to these borders. allow walking between them. The beds suggest what was planted. baskets suspended from the middle of divide the central rectangle into 4 beds
[qv] are separated from the gravel paths by each arch and one of the chains used each measuring approximately 5.70m
a narrow grass margin around the THE PERGOLA for the purpose remains on one of the [19ft] by 2.74m [9ft]. The semi circular
THE PARTERRE BEDS
sides measuring 0.76m [2ft 6in] wide. This is one of the most enduring of the arches. Each basket was suspended ends consist of central, raised 13’
The courtyard formed by the three The central circular bed is 4.88m [16ft] over the middle of the central grass shaded platforms on which the 2
glasshouses ranges is filled by an in diameter and is tiered into 3 original features of the garden having walkway in the spandrels. A basket was Cordylines grow. These are surrounded
changed little from its appearance in
elaborate parterre of paths and beds. different levels. Dominating the central the early photographs. The pergola also placed on top of each of the by semi-circular beds are a lower level.
The layout of the parterre has survived tier and indeed providing a dramatic columns. Climbing plants are seen to The external grass margin around all
well in the form of grassed-over feature for the whole glasshouse area provided a strong vertical feature to intertwine around the columns which of the features is in the form of a low
the parterre and its survival
earthworks and much of it was visible is large Cordyline australis. The outer contributes much to the general were painted white. Today a number of bank 0.91m [3ft] wide. A sundial
before investigation. The north west tier or wing is 1.06m [aft 6in] wide and old rose bushes grow around the base pedestal is located just off centre to
part of the central area and some of is 0.30m [1ft] above the central path. It atmosphere that the garden is waiting of most of the columns. It is not the south of the central circular bed
to be brought to life again. It is
the south east port were strimmed. surfaces slope up gently towards the composed of 8 iron columns standing thought that they are original. adjoining the oath., The beds contain
Some excavation was carried out on centre. Separating it from the middle neglected rose bushes which were
the north and north west portions. tier is a narrow sunken ring 0.45m [111 2.44m [8ft] high with 4 spaces between THE TERRACE BEDS planted by the nuns. An idea of the
them. Each column is connected by an
From this limited investigation it was 6in] wide which probably represents a arch composed of a single iron rod. These are located between 2 paths at original planting is given in one of the
possible to establish the main pattern gully for the planting of spring bulbs the edge of the level platform on which Lawrence photographs and the 1905
and features. The lay¬out is a fairly followed by later bedded-out plants. The arches are 3.23m [loft Tin] in the glasshouses stand. They close the article gives further information of the
maximum height at the middle. The
typical Victorian geometric The middle tier is 0.60m [211 wide] and square formed by the glasshouse planting of the beds in general.
columns are round in section and were