Woodstock House and Estate is a derelict Georgian house and estate located near

Inistioge Inistioge (; ) is a small village in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Historically, its name has been spelt as Ennistioge, Ennisteage, and in other ways. The village is situated on the River Nore, southeast of Kilkenny. Situated along the River No ...

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...

, Ireland, on the west bank of the

River Nore The River Nore ( ga, An Fheoir ) is one of the principal rivers (along with the River Suir and River Barrow) in the South-East Region of Ireland. The river drains approximately of Leinster and Munster, that encompasses parts of three counti ...

. The

Ladies of Llangollen The "Ladies of Llangollen", Eleanor Butler (1739–1829) and Sarah Ponsonby (1755–1831), were two upper-class Irish women whose relationship scandalised and fascinated their contemporaries. The pair moved to a Gothic house in Llangollen, No ...

story began here and

Mary Tighe Mary Tighe (9 October 1772 – 24 March 1810) was an Anglo-Irish poet. Life and career Mary Blackford (or Blanchford) was born in Dublin, 9 October 1772. Her parents were Theodosia Tighe, a Methodist leader, and William Blachford (d.1773?), ...

died here. The house was destroyed by presumed arson after it was used a billet by the British army. The house is still a ruin but the gardens are open to the public.

History

Woodstock House is now a ruin. In 1737, William Fownes's grandfather left him over 21,000 acres. William Fownes father, (also) Sir William Fownes, had been the

Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin ( ga, Ardmhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ga, Cathaoirleach, links=no ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The ...

. When the younger William married Elizabeth Ponsonby he received £4,000 as a dowry. With this money William and Sarah built the six bayed three storey Woodstock House in County Kilkenny in 1745-7. They had a child guest named Sarah Ponsonby who was Elizabeth's cousin. When Sarah's adult friend, Lady Eleanor Butler, ran away from home she was hidden in Sarah's room and the housemaid

Mary Carryl Mary Carryl (Unknown22 November 1809) was an Irish-born loyal servant and friend of the celebrated Ladies of Llangollen. She served them up to her death; and when the Ladies died, they shared the same grave. Life Carryl was brought up in a poor ...

smuggled in food for her stowaway. Sarah was receiving unwanted attention from Sir William. but eventually they agreed that they could leave Ireland together. They went to Llangollen in Wales where they set up home in a cottage called Plas Newydd. Eleanor and Sarah became the

with Mary Carryl as their lifelong servant. Over the next forty-five years, Woodstock was the background to a series of dramas that led to the deaths of William, Elisabeth and their son-in-law William Tighe. The Irish poet

died here of tuberculosis in 1820. The gardens and walks were laid out between 1840 and 1900 by another William Tighe and his wife Lady Louisa Lennox. The gardens contain many exotic plants from Asia and South America, including the

Monkey Puzzle tree ''Araucaria araucana'' (commonly called the monkey puzzle tree, monkey tail tree, piñonero, pewen or Chilean pine) is an evergreen tree growing to a trunk diameter of 1–1.5 m (3–5 ft) and a height of 30–40 m (100–130 ft). ...

and the Noble Fir tree which form two of the walks in the gardens, as well as specimens of the

Coast Redwood ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...

. In 1921, the property was occupied by the

Black and Tans Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...

and Auxiliaries, which caused resentment, and then by troops of the

Free State Army The National Army, sometimes unofficially referred to as the Free State army or the Regulars, was the army of the Irish Free State from January 1922 until October 1924. Its role in this period was defined by its service in the Irish Civil War, ...

, who were withdrawn from the premises during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

, on 1 July 1922. The house, left unguarded, was burnt down the next day, and remains a derelict empty shell, overgrown with vegetation. The grounds are being restored by Kilkenny County Council and are open to the public. In the grounds, near the river, is a shooting lodge called the Red House. In 1978 the estate hosted the Irish

Jamboree In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouting, Scouts who rally at a national or international level. History The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been twenty-thre ...

, marking seventy years of

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

in Ireland. The celebrations were attended by almost 10,000 Scouts from around the world and they were opened by President

Patrick Hillery Patrick John Hillery ( ga, Pádraig J. Ó hIrghile; 2 May 1923 – 12 April 2008) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the sixth president of Ireland from December 1976 to December 1990. He also served as vice-president of the Euro ...

References

{{coord, 52.47592, N, 7.059032, W, region:IE-KK_type:landmark, display=title Geography of County Kilkenny Gardens in County Kilkenny Buildings and structures in County Kilkenny Palladian architecture in Ireland