Powerscourt: Travel Tuesday

Last week, I shared the little town of Enniskerry, Ireland with you guys and I mentioned Powerscourt Estate. 

Today I want to share a few pictures from Powerscourt Estate. During Thanksgiving break of 2009, my friend and I headed over to Dublin for the holiday weekend. During our trip, we decided to visit Powerscourt Estate. Powerscourt was where the 2002 version of The Count of Monte Cristo, one of my favorite books and movie, was filmed, so of course we needed to go. 

Powerscourt is only about 30 minutes outside of Dublin, and it's really easy to get to. We took a city bus to Enniskerry and then walked the rest of the way. 

{via}

Powerscourt is filled with about 800 years of history, going back all the way to the 13th century. The land that Powerscourt stands on today was once the place of medieval castle owned by the Le Power Family, which is where the name 'Powerscourt' comes from. In 1603, Richard Wingfield was granted the castle by Queen Elizabeth as a reward for his military achievements. The Wingfield family remained at the estate for 350 years. 

In 1730, the 1st Viscount Powerscourt commissioned Richard Castle to build Powerscourt House- a 68 room mansion. This was completed in 1741. In 1974, a fire destroyed the roof and all of the principal rooms. The estate was restored and reopened in 1996. (Source)

There is tons to do at Powerscourt. There are the gardens, ballroom & garden rooms, Powerscourt Waterfall, Garden Pavilion, and more. We took a tour through the gardens and that alone took a couple of hours. 

Here are some pictures from the day. 

 {If you've seen The Count of Monte Cristo, this should look familiar to you.} 

{One of my favorite parts of the tour was the Pet Cemetery. Some of the grave markers were pretty intense.} 

Although the estate isn't open on the inside, it's still worth a trip. We went in the Fall and it was beautiful, so I can't imagine how wonderful it will be in the spring. 

Information: 

Hours- 9:30am- 5:30pm 

Gardens Entrance Fee*: Adults 6.50, Students: 6.00, Children 3.50, Children under 5 Free! 

Family Tickets (2 adults and up to 3 children) 18.00 Euro 

Waterfall Entrance Fees: Adults 5.50, Student: 5.00, Children 3.50, Children under 5 Free! 

*Reflective of the Winter Rates 

(For more info go to the website!) 

{Linking up with Bonnie}