The restored Victorian gardens attached to Tramore House in Co Waterford were formally opened in brilliant sunshine last Friday by Mr Martin Cullen, Minister of State at the Office of Public Works.
The £240,000 project was jointly funded by the Great Gardens of Ireland Restoration Programme and Waterford County Council.
The gardens will take two to three years to mature, by which time they are expected to be a vitally attractive feature of Tramore, the premier seaside resort of the south-east region.
Tramore House dates from the 1880s and boasted fine lush gardens in its heyday. It is located in a commanding position overlooking the coastline. The old gardens had been neglected for decades. Waterford County Council decided two years ago to restore them to their original state.
The gardens cover approximately three acres. The work involved careful replanting in front of the house using boxwood, roses, catmint, lavender and clematis.
A series of paths leads through wooded slopes to the water basin, canal and rock garden.
A herbaceous border follows the main route through the garden and a shrub border shelters it from the worst ravages of the salt-laden sea air.
At its upper end a gazebo and garden seats have been placed. These, together with the grottoes and the waterside plantings, serve to convey the exuberance of the previous Victorian garden.
The overall effect illustrates the Victorians' love of formality and natural planting. The formal box-edged old rose-beds lead to the house entrance and the informal woodland and shrubbery includes a timber pavilion and stone grottoes. Bluebells, anemones and narcissi will carpet the ground in spring.
An original water feature which was fed by a hillside stream has been redesigned to flow down the sloping site. The water emerges from a bronze seahorse into a pool and then flows into a canal, finally cascading through rocks into another pool lushly planted with gunnera and bamboo.
The seahorse is the symbol of the town of Tramore and of Waterford Crystal, signifying the tragic maritime history of the area: in 1816, some 363 people drowned when the troop transport Sea Horse sank in Tramore Bay. The famous Metalman was erected in the bay as a memorial. It stands with arms outstretched and finger pointed, warning seafarers of the dangers that may await them.