Location
Fota Island Carrigtwohill, Co Cork
History
One of Ireland's finest examples of Regency architecture, Fota House commands graceful gardens and a world-renowned arboretum on Fota Island just 12km from Cork City . Fota Island covers an area of some 316 hectares and is joined to the mainland of Cork and also Great Island by a series of causeways. The land was owned by the De Barri family since the late 12th Century, but Fota House wasn't developed until the 1820s when John Smith Barry commissioned renowned architects Richard and William Vitruvius Morrison to build the house and develop the estate. His son James Hugh Smith Barry later began the layout of the arboretum and gardens in the 1840s. In 1975 the entire property was sold and is today divided between, Fota Island Golf Course , the excellent Fota Wildlife Park as well as Fota House & Gardens .
Fota House is one of the best examples of neoclassical architecture in Ireland. Self guided tours take you through grandiose rooms including the Dining Room and Hall boasting fabulous Ionic scagliola columns and fine plaster work and Library and Drawing Room with fabulous period furnishings and an antique pianoforte. But for many the highlight of the tour is the Kitchens with their many curious items outlining life here in Edwardian times.
The Gardens boast some very unusual and exotic plants and flora introduced from Asia, Australia and the Americas in the 19th Century. Such far away specimens benefit from the soil quality of Fota Island, indeed Fota originates from the Irish word Fod te meaning "warm soil". Fota Arboretum is of international importance and together with the Walled Garden and Orangerie present fabulous colours and wonderful natural beauty throughout the year.
Opening Times
April - End October Sun 11:00-18:00 November - March Mon - Sat 10:00-17:00 November - March Sun 11:00-17:00 April - End October Mon - Sat 10:00-18:00 For pedestrians: Open all year round.
Visit Length
1hr 30mins
Admission
No admission fee
Information
Leaflets: Yes Guided Tours: Yes Audio Visual: Yes Exhibition: Yes
Facilities
Restaurant: Yes Car Park: Yes Coach Park: Yes Disabled Access: Yes
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