Bantry House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bantry House |
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Bantry House and Bantry Bay
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne with Georgian and Victorian additions |
| Town or city | Bantry |
| Country | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 51°40′37″N 9°27′54″W / 51.677°N 9.465°W |
| Completed | c.1710 (original house) c.1820 (additions) c.1845 (wings) |
Bantry House is a beautiful old house with lovely gardens. It is located in Bantry, County Cork, Ireland. The house was first built in the early 1700s.
The White family has owned and lived in Bantry House since the mid-1700s. They were once known as the Earls of Bantry. Since the 1940s, Bantry House has been open to visitors. It is a popular place for tourists to visit in West Cork.
History of Bantry House
Bantry House was first called 'Blackrock'. It was built around 1710 on the south side of Bantry Bay. In 1750, a man named Richard White bought Blackrock. He was a lawyer, and he changed the house's name to 'Seafield'.
The White family first settled on Whiddy Island in the late 1600s. They were originally merchants, which means they bought and sold goods, in Limerick. The family became very successful. They bought a lot of land around the house. By the 1780s, Bantry House owned about 80,000 acres of land. However, much of this land was not good for farming.
Bantry House first opened its doors to visitors in 1946. In 2012, the house was shown on a TV show called Country House Rescue.
Exploring the Gardens
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The gardens at Bantry House are very special. They were designed by Richard White, who was the 2nd Earl of Bantry, and his wife Mary. The gardens have seven different levels, like big steps. The main house sits on the third level.
Behind the house, there are one hundred steps. These steps lead up a hill. Beautiful flowers like azaleas and rhododendrons grow all around them.
In 1997, some parts of the gardens needed a lot of care. A special grant from Europe helped start fixing them. This funding stopped in 2000, but work to restore the gardens is still happening.
The Armada Centre
There is a special exhibition at Bantry House called the Armada Centre. It tells the story of how Bantry House was involved in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. This rebellion was a big event in Irish history.
The exhibition focuses on the French attempt to land in Ireland in 1796. It also shows how Richard White, who owned the house at the time, helped stop the French. He later became the 1st Earl of Bantry.
The French ships, called an armada, never actually landed. Bad weather caused many ships to sink. One of these was a large warship called the Surveillante. The Armada Centre has a model of the Surveillante. It also displays items found from the shipwreck.
See also
- Earl of Bantry
- Historic Cork Gardens
- West Cork Chamber Music Festival
