Woodstock Gardens

Sleeping Beauty at Woodstock

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:47:14 +0000

Chapterhouse Theatre Company will bring an outdoor production of Sleeping Beauty to Woodstock on Sunday the 1st of July.

Sleeping Beauty waits for her prince in a magical new version of this best-loved fairytale. Young and old alike will fall in love with this delightful adaptation set in the 1940s and taking you on a thrilling journey all the way to fairyland. Come along in your favourite fancy dress outfit and join the fairytale parade during the performance! Magical theatre in magical surroundings for all the family.

Sleeping Beauty will be a very lovely tale for all the family with songs and dance and fun of about one and a half hours duration, including an interval, and is particularly suitable for children from 3-10 years old. It will follow the previous Chapterhouse childrens’ shows format of a ‘play within a play’. The actors take the role of 1940′s evacuee children who use a dressing-up box and a story-book to perform the tale. The performance will include a pantomime cow called Milky as she makes an appearance in all of the children’s shows! Children are encouraged to come along in their favourite fairytale costumes and they will have the opportunity to join in some games and a fairytale parade with the actors during the interval

Tickets on sale soon from local outlets. Watch this space for further information.

Kilkenny Walking Festival at Woodstock

admin — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:22:14 +0000

Step into Spring and join in the exciting programme of outdoor events throughout the month of April for the Kilkenny Walking Festival. The festival takes place over the month of April with over 60 walks all around the County including one here at Woodstock Gardens on Thursday the 12th of April. For more information visit www.kilkennywalkingfestival.ie

The Woodstock Guided Tree Trail and Picnic takes place on the 12th of April. Meet at 2pm in the Woodstock Gardens Car Park. Bring your own picnic. Entrance is free but please do ring ahead to book as places on the guided walk are limited.

Please phone Claire Goodwin, Kilkenny County Council Parks Department on 056 7794373 or email woodstock@kilkennycoco.ie

Woodstock Explorer Pack

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:35:46 +0000

Download the Woodstock Explorer Pack. (8MB Adobe Acrobat File .pdf)

The Woodstock Explorer Pack is aimed at children to give a fun appreciation of Woodstock gardens, history and wildlife with some fun snippets of information and games.

Season Tickets for 2012

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:04:26 +0000

Season Tickets for year round access to Woodstock gardens are now on sale. The ticket will cost €45 for the year and will be valid until February 2013. The season ticket can be used for as many visits to the gardens during the year as you wish. Tickets can be purchased from garden staff at Woodstock or from Kilkenny County Council Parks Section, based in County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny.

For more information please contact Head gardener John Delaney on 087 854978 or Claire Goodwin in Kilkenny County Council Parks office on 056 7794373. Email : woodstock@kilkennycoco.ie

Please Keep Woodstock Clean

admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:32:09 +0000

There has been a huge upsurge lately of illegal dumping in the wider Woodstock Estate. Luckily the gardens are untouched but the woodland areas have of late been very badly hit with dumping of household rubbish. Kilkenny County Council has put up hidden cameras throughout the area to catch the culprits but we also need help from members of the public. Please contact Kilkenny County Council’s Confidential Litterline on Free Phone 1800 200 156 to report incidents of illegal dumping.

For further information please see Kilkenny County Council’s website Click Here…

A Visit to Woodstock, 1863

admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:08:49 +0000

Below is a piece written about Woodstock in the Irish Farmer’s Gazette in 1863. Many of these words are still very apt today

‘Woodstock – beautiful Woodstock – gardens and all, are open to the public of every grade from prince to peasant, at all times, where they can walk and ramble about at pleasure to enjoy its delightful scenery, of which the eye or the mind can never tire; the noble woods, the graceful, winding silvery Nore at its foot; Lady Louisa’s beautiful rustic cottage with the mountain torrent running through the romantic glen over which it hangs; the Red house for pic-nicks, the expansive views, the beautiful picturesque bridge at Innistiogue and Brandon Hill in the distance, are all their own for the time being and though we know that thousands enjoy it again and again, without ever tiring of it, we trust that many thousands more who have never done so will be induced to make the effort and enjoy its cool retreats, its quiet glades and beautiful scenery’.

Irish Farmer’s Gazette, September 5th, 1863. p.308

The Rare Autumn Crocus

admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:51:00 +0000

In Ireland, the Autumn crocus is only found at a few sites in the Nore valley, in damp meadows and on the river banks. This rare perennial flower is protected under national legislation. It is associated with monastic settlements, is an important pharmaceutical plant, and is frequently cultivated as a decorative plant. The beautiful pinkish purple flowers appear in late summer and early Autumn after the leaves have withered away. This flower is now visible in fields on the eastern banks of the river Nore in Inistioge. Cross the bridge in Inistioge and take an immediate left. Approximately 1/2 km down this road you will see the scattering of purple in the fields below. If you decide to have a closer look please ensure you contact the landowner to seek permission to enter the field.

Inistioge Village

admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:33:03 +0000

Inistioge Village is located on the banks of the beautiful River Nore. It is surrounded by steep wooded hillsides and rolling agricultural land. The village is very popular with visitors and is well serviced with cafes, pubs and shops. Walk to Woodstock gardens through the old estate by following the western river bank of the Nore from the village and climbing uphill to the gardens. The walk is well signposted and forms part of the South Leinster Way. For more on Inistioge village visit www.inistioge.ie

Take Time out for Tea

admin — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 11:03:33 +0000

Woodstock’s Tea Room is located in the beautifully restored, cast iron conservatory. The conservatory overlooks the Terraced Garden and is adjacent to the Walled Garden. The tea shop serves a range of teas, coffees, delicious home made cakes and ice cream. Soup is served in colder months. Drop in for a cup of tea and relax over the view of the Terraced Garden.

Produce from the gardens including fruit, veg and homemade jam is sold from the tea shop when available.

The tea rooms are currently open at weekends only until June, however bookings for groups can be accommodated (please phone ahead to book)

Phone 087 8549785 or Office on 056 7794373

We are the Champions!

admin — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:48:45 +0000

Woodstock is well known for its collection of trees from all over the world and is home to many ‘champions’. Come and see one of the longest Monkey Puzzle Avenues in Europe, our ‘Champion Coast redwood, the tallest Silver Fir in Ireland and our very rare and important Bentham Cypress.

One of the most outstanding features at Woodstock is the Monkey Puzzle Walk (Araucaria araucana) which is set out on an almost north/south axis to the south of the house. Also at Woodstock is the Noble Fir Walk (Abies procera). The walk which is over 1/4 of a mile in length is a very fine and important surviving feature from this 19th Century garden. It was the last great work to the ornamental planting in the grounds made by William F.Tighe, planted during the year of his death in 1878.