Altamont Gardens, County Carlow, Ireland: A 40 acre Robinsonian style
woodland garden with a man-made lake, streams, sculpted yew trees, old
roses, rhododendrons, blue bell wood, Arboretum, River Slaney walk, Bog
Garden and Ice Age Glen with a canopy of ancient oaks. Altamont
Gardens represent the achievements of successive generations of the Lecky-Watson
and North Families, and are now managed by The Office of Public Works. The
extensive gardens, divided into three distinct sections or elements, are the
work of succeeding generations of the Watson family and were first laid down
almost two hundred years ago.
A
picturesque 2½ acre lake was created during/after the Irish Potato Famine.
Research indicates that it took 100 men with horses and carts 2 years to
excavate the lake and it cost in 1847/8 of £12,000, a significant sum. The
first section of the garden is largely a 19th century creation. This in turn
leads to a very different garden, the rough or Wild Garden which features
many rare and most interesting shrubs and trees from many countries, the
result of the family's travels over the last two hundred years. This leads
to the dramatic Ice Age Glen overlooking the River Slaney with its
delightful riverside walk. Lawns
are bisected by sculpted yews sloping down to a romantic lake surrounded by
rare trees, rhododendrons and shrubs. A profusion of roses, old fashioned
and modern, and herbaceous plants scent the air. A fascinating walk through
the Arboretum, Bog Garden and Ice Age Glen with its canopy of ancient oaks
leads to the majestic River Slaney. Along the River Walk, you may see salmon
and trout rising, perhaps even an otter, and throughout the garden, an
abundance of birds and butterflies. On your return via the Hill Walk, there
are wonderful views of the Blackstairs and Wicklow Mountains and Mount
Leinster.
Altamont is thought to have been the site of a convent, although there seem
to be no existing records to corroborate this. However, the house as it
exists today was evidently built upon the remains of an earlier dwelling
dating from at least the 16th century; immensely thick walls, paved granite
floors and arrow slit windows in the centre basement of the house testify to
this. There is also evidence of a monastic site on adjoining land - the
convent at Altamont is believed to have been its 'Sister House'. At this
time the estate is thought to have been known as Rose Hill, the name being
subsequently changed to Soho and marked thus on a map of 1777. The estate
eventually came to be called Altamont sometime in the late 18th century,
through some connection with the Marquis of Sligo. (Lord) Altamont was a
title conferred then on the eldest son.
The
ruins of a
chapel are still to be seen on the Dark Walk, in the form of a windowed end
wall. However, the stained glass is believed to be Victorian. Other
fragments of the chapel have been incorporated into sections of the house -
beneath the library and above the front bedroom window of the south wing.
