CASTLE COOLE & FLORENCE COURT MANOR
Plantation Manor Houses of Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
in south west Northern Ireland features some of the most beautiful
landscapes
on the Irish island, infused with tranquil
nature by the waters of the lakes of the river Erne, and the wooded hills
which form the boarder with the Republic of Ireland. Much of Irish history
is defined in this region which was flooded with Protestant English supplanting
the native Catholic Irish by what was called the Ulster Plantation.
The English Earls who prospered needed great houses for their estates
and two of the most impressive 18th Century manor houses can be
found
near the
city of Ennsikillen, grand formal residences set in beautiful parklands,
maintained by the National Trust.
Castle Coole
Exquisite
stately grandeur describes one of Ireland’s opulent
formal neo-classical Regency mansions. Just outside Inniskillen, with
parkland adjoining the Inniskillen golf course, Castle Coole, was built
in 1797 for the Armar Lowry-Corry, named the first Earl of Belmore, designed
by famed architect of the age, James Wyatt, who came on the stage with
the design of the Pantheon in London’s Oxford Street and during
his life thought to be one of the best designers of country houses, though
some critics of the 19th Century proponents of neo-gothicism rather vilified
him as “Wyatt the Destroyer” for his additions to Cathedrals
at Sailsbury and Hereford.
Castle Coole
is one of the best
remaining examples of Wyatt’s work, expressing a solid grandeur in Grecian
neo-classic formal austerity. The first earl began to run out of money
for his very expensive grand house and in 1802, died before it could
be finished. His son, Somerset Lowry-Corry took up the mantle and retained
one of Dublin’s most prominent interior decorators and upholsterers,
John Preston to complete the interiors. The rooms redesigned by John
Preston for the second Earl offer some of the finest Regency style furnishings
to be found in the British Isles, with opulent rich satins and intricate
gold giltwood contrasting and complimenting the austere lines of Wyatt.
Florence Court
A few miles
to the south of Enniskillen, on fertile hills against the dramatic
background
of the Cuilcagh mountains, down a country lane can
be found the former country home of the Earls of Enniskillen, Florence
Court. First begun by Sir John Cole in the early 1700s and named for
his wife Florence Cole, but not but not completed until two generations
later, the construction and design history of Florence Court is rather
an architectural mystery. A great fire in 1955 nearly consumed the mansion
and destroyed all of the building records. The Cole’s had spent
most of their years in Ireland at the Castle of Inniskillen (see Inniskillen
Castle and Fusilier Museum) where John Cole had succeeded his great-grand
father William Cole as Governor and Provost. The house of Florence Court
was
begun either just before or after the death of his wife in 1718.
The
Georgian exterior of Florence Court has been described as “a riotus
though happy collection of rusticated corners, pediments, window surrounds
and keystones. The interiors of the mansion as are noted for some of
the best examples of Rococco plaster work in Ireland, fortuitously saved
from the 1950s fire. The mansion at Florence Court was extensively restored
after the fire, and lived in by the succeeding Earls of Enniskillen until
the 1970s. Aside from the house, Florence Court is known for its “Pleasure
Ground”, a network of winding paths, lawns and ornamental trees
and shrubs added to the grounds in the 19th Century, including a grove
of Rhododenrons which flush in colorful bloom in the spring, and the
Florence Court Yew, said to be the parent of all the Yew trees in Ireland.
Also on the grounds are a 19th Century Sawmill and walled garden
Visiting Florence Court and Castle Coole
Both houses
are administered by the National Trust with tours lasting about an
hour at each, with
hours varying a bit by season, weekends March
to May and September to October, daily June to August. Each has a tea
room and shop. Florence Court has a restaurant in the former Stables
and Castle Coole is popular for picnicking on the shore of Lough Coole
where it is possible to visit by boat. Events at the manor houses include
Easter Fun Day at Castle Coole, and the county fair at Florence Court
in May as well as a Halloween “Spooktacular” and Craft Fair
in October. Each has separate admission of £5.45 for adults £2.72
for children for the house tours. There is a parking charge at Castle
Coole. National Trust properties are included for free admission with
the Great
British Heritage Pass. For a stay in the countryside, Florence
Court has a holiday cottage for rent and the Belle Isle Estate is nearby
(see Belle
Isle Cottages and Cookery), and the underground caverns
of Marble Arch are up the winding road (see Marble Arch Geopark
Caverns). © Bargain
Travel Europe
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Castle Coole
Florence Court
These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission. Interior photos Courtesy National Trust.
SEE ALSO
ULSTER
AMERICAN FOLK PARK
SCENIC
IRELAND BY CAR
DERRY TOWER MUSEUM - THE SPANISH ARMADA
TOUR DERRY'S WALLS & GUILDHALL
GRANT HOMESTEAD – COUNTY TYRONE
