Woodstock Gardens
Woodstock Gardens are located in the south east of Kilkenny just outside the picturesque village of Inistioge. The gardens, overlooking the River Nore Valley, offer the visitor a wide variety of attractions and are a most relaxing and beautiful environment in which to spend a day. The gardens are currently undergoing restoration by Kilkenny County Council and further features and planting are being added all the time.
The main development of Woodstock Gardens occurred in the Victorian Period with the works being overseen by Lady Louisa Tighe nee Lennox and head gardeners, Pierce Butler and later Charles McDonald. The gardens are being restored to the period 1840 -1890 with every effort being made to use plants and materials typical of the era.
The gardens are home to a mix of formal and informal gardens with an arboretum, walled garden, terraced garden, yew walk and rose garden providing the main interest. Also of significance are two stunning avenues, the Monkey Puzzle Avenue and Noble Fir Avenue. Recently added are a rustic summer house, constructed from materials from the gardens and a fountain to replace the original which was sold from the gardens c.1930. The arboretum is home to many fine specimen trees from Asia and South America in particular. A number of these trees are recognised as champion trees due to their size.
Location:
Woodstock Gardens and Arboretum is situated just outside Inistioge village. Approaching from Kilkenny, take the first right in Inistioge, up the steep High Street. Enter through main gateway at top of the hill. Access to the gardens is through car park 500m from the main gates
Open:
All year round.
9am – 8pm Summer months (May to September)
10am – 4.30pm Winter months (October to April)
Admission:
€4.00 per vehicle to car park.
Season tickets are available for unlimited number of visits all year round: €35.00
Buses and large groups by appointment only.
Facilities:
Car Parking, Toilets, Limited Wheelchair Access, Tea Rooms (Please phone to check opening hours).
Guided tours by appointment.
Contact:
John Delaney, Head Gardener, Woodstock : +353 87 854 9785
Claire Murphy, Landscape Architect, Kilkenny County Council: +353 87 858 0502
The Restoration Project
The main aim of the Woodstock Gardens Restoration project is to maintain Woodstock as a heritage garden for public 
enjoyment.
Woodstock is a major heritage site whose status and importance merits conservation and restoration for future generations. The restoration is being carried out to a very high standard with due respect to the historical integrity of the site. The date bracket to which the restoration is being placed is the period c.1840 to 1900 and all planting and features correspond to this.
Restoration has now been underway for almost three years and Kilkenny County Council are actively seeking funding to continue the project into future phases of restoration.
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Monkey Puzzle Walk There are 31 pairs of Araucaria araucanas (Monkey Puzzles) in the avenue The avenue is 335m long and 2.5 m wide |
Dovecote The building has a diameter of 8.3metres. It houses seven tiers of nesting boxes, totalling 293 nesting boxes, providing accommodation for 598 pigeons. The young chicks or ‘squeekers’ were often eaten at six weeks of age when fresh meat was scarce in the winter months |
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Ornamental DairyThe grotto once housed an ornamental dairy. These were fashionable in the 18th and early 19th Century, allowing members of the nobility and gentry to act out pastoral fantasies. Dairying had been fashionable with the ladies of the big house since the time of William and Mary when there was prestige in all things domestic. Queen Mary even had her own dairy at Hampton Court. |
Tree Surgery During an intensive programme of tree surgery, up to 3 and 4 tonnes of deadwood and ivy was often removed from a single tree. This was because the trees had been neglected for so long. A total of 390 trees received tree surgery. All were climbed by expert tree surgeons, with the exception of the Noble Fir walk where a hoist had to be brought in due to the height of the trees |
| Some Facts The gardens has over four miles of foot paths – all restored since 1999 In the terraced garden, over 2,500 Buxus sempervirens (Box) were planted by our own garden staff The creation of the Winter Garden in 1860 involved the movement by hand of more than 200,000 cubic yards of soil. It was dug away from the area now known as the Rockery. |
Ladies Walking The main footpaths in Woodstock were originally designed to be the width of two ladies dresses so that two ladies could walk side by side comfortably. The box hedges were maintained at six inches high so that the ladies dresses brushed over the top of the hedge.
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