Devonshire Cream Tea will be served for ‘Devonshire Day’ this year on Mother’s Day Sunday, March 31st 2019 at Lismore Castle in County Waterford.
Guests to the castle on the day can take a unique opportunity to enjoy afternoon tea in the Pugin Room and experience a preview tour of Lismore Castle’s spring gardens.
Devonshire Day is now an annual tradition at the Castle; guests are served Devonshire Cream Tea under the guidance of the Duke of Devonshire’s Butler and are then offered a guided tour of the Castle gardens by the Head Gardener – the event is a once a year occasion and not on offer generally to visitors.
Devonshire Day is a fundraiser organised by the ‘Immrama Festival of Travel Writing’ committee. The Immrama Festival takes place this year for the seventeenth year in Lismore from June 12th to 16th 2019. The use of the castle and the gardens for this fundraiser is by kind permission of the owner of Lismore Castle, the Duke of Devonshire.
Tea and tours take place at 11.30 a.m., 12.40 p.m., 1.50 p.m., 3.00 p.m. and 4.10 p.m. Entrance is by ticket only. Tickets are available from the Immrama office and Lismore Heritage Centre and cost €25.00. For further enquiries and bookings contact 058-53803 or 058-54975 or seefacebook.com/lismoreimmrama
Garden Highlights
The Lower Garden was formerly known as the ‘Pleasure Grounds’ and is spectacular in the springtime. A number of camellia, rhododendron‘s and some particularly magnificent magnolias can be found here. There has been extensive planting over the last number of years and the gardens are being constantly refined and improved. The walls surrounding the garden date from the early 18th century and have been planted with roses such as Francis E, Lester, Bobbie James, Rambling Rector to name but a few. The Lower Garden also boasts some spectacular sculptures by well-known artists Eilis O’Connell, Anthony Gormley and Marzia Colonna.
The Upper Garden is one of the few Jacobean gardens to survive in anything like its original form. The first Earl of Cork helped by his gardener John built a high surrounding wall and a raised terrace terminated at either end by turrets. The Central Walk, which is between the herbaceous borders, is backed by yew hedges and was laid in dramatic alignment on the Pain spire of the Anglican Cathedral. The hedges provide a suitable background for the herbaceous borders as one walks towards the top terrace. Located here are some artistic works by Bridget McCrum, Simon Thomas, Emily Young and Edwin Whitney Smith.
Image: Enjoy afternoon tea in the Pugin Room at Lismore Castle in county Waterford and experience a unique preview of Lismore Castle Spring Gardens on Sunday, March 31st 2019 – Afternoon tea will be served by the castles very own Butler Mr. Denis Nevin. For tickets (priced at €25 per person) call 058-53803.