Garden of earthly delights

For those of us with Big House envy, Burton House offers the chance to get up close and personal with its marvellous plasterwork and gorgeous gardens tended by four generations of the one family, writes ALANNA GALLAGHER

FROM UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRSto Downton Abbey, the historic big house continues to enthral us all. It offers pure escapism – a chance to entertain the idea of long afternoons taking tea with not a care for the real world drudgery of mortgage repayments, the price of petrol and rising utility bills. Burtown House in Ballytore, outside Athy, offers an escape from the everyday to sample a slice of Irish haute life.

An early Georgian villa with late Georgian additions, Burtown House was built circa 1710 and belongs to the Fennell family, who have lived there for much of the last century. Now four generations reside at the address. Head of the house is photographer James Fennell, whose published work with writer and historian Turtle Bunbury includes the Vanishing Ireland series and the Irish Pub. His shares the big house with his wife Joanna, jewellery designer turned interior designer, and their three children: Bella (full name Bluebelle) age five, Mimi, age three, and William, whose nomenclature apes a family tradition that every James Fennell is followed by a William. He’s named after James’ dad and is 15 months old.

Wendy Walsh, James’ grandmother, the renowned botanical painter whose wildflowers series of stamps for An Post will be familiar to many, lives in the stables. James’ mother, Lesley Fennell, is also a painter with work in the public collections including KPMG and Trinity law school and lives in another house on the property. “There are now four generations living and working in the garden.” Wendy, now age 96, still gardens every day.

The Fennells open their 10 acres of garden to the public for the first time today. It is considered to be one of the finest gardens in the country thanks to the groundwork of Isobel Shackleton – a first cousin of the Antarctic explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton – who married James’ great grandfather, William. She laid out the original rock garden and vegetable garden. James explains, “The latter has been in production for 150 years and serves up cabbage, broccoli, Jerusalem artichokes, leeks, beetroot, rocket, red and green kale, Brussels sprout, potatoes and salad greens.” Some of these have been grown from seedlings by James’ children and will be served up to lunch guests, once the cafe opens in May.

Wendy Walsh’s rare plants were moved to Burtown more than a decade ago from her home in Lusk, Co Dublin, and form a good collection of the interesting specimens she has painted throughout her career.

The nut grove is on the site of the original formal garden and is probably the most romantic place on the property, says James. adding it is the perfect setting for a Valentine’s Day proposals.”

The gardens come to life in February with a spectacular show of snowdrops, says James. Golden aconites beam a sunny glow into areas that the low-lying sun can’t yet reach. Expect to also see crocuses and early bulbs such as hellebores and trillium line the banks.

The house itself offers a rare glimpse inside a world that most of us can only experience by watching costume dramas.

Growing up in the house with his two sisters, James recollects their calling it Brrrrtown because it was the coldest house in Ireland. The family did most of their living in one Aga-warmed room in the basement. James’ father, William, spent his entire life struggling to pay off death duties before succumbing to cancer. In a way the revitalisation of the house pays tribute to his memory.

James and Joanna have built on a 120sq m kitchen onto an old ruined wing. This will house a gallery cum cafe where the inaugural show will be a retrospective of Wendy’s work. The cafe is scheduled to open in April and in May will be ready to serve lunches and sweet treats all served up on the family’s historic ceramics.

Groups of 12 plus can indulge their inner lord and lady of the manor by enjoying morning or afternoon tea served in the drawing room, where the paints on the walls were mixed by James’ mother. She also blended the intense Prussian blue in the dining room, the dove grey on the landing, the claret reds of the entrance hall and the umber yellow of the study.

You can see these and the wonderful plasterwork on a tour of the house that takes place after tea.

Burtown House opens today until February 28th and reopens on April 12th. The gallery cafe will be serving seasonal lunches using products from the vegetable gardens from May.

For more details, see burtownhouse.ieor call 059-8623148