Oak Park, County Carlow

Oak Park is a Georgian house and estate in County Carlow, Ireland, located 3 kilometres (2 mi) north of the town of Carlow.^[1]

Oak Park
Granite ionic entrance arch leading to the house.
Former names	Painestown
General information
Type	House
Architectural style	Greek Revival Georgian
Address	Oak Park, County Carlow
Town or city	Carlow
Country	Ireland
Coordinates	52.866°N 6.913°W / 52.866; -6.913
Current tenants	Teagasc
Groundbreaking	1760 (original Georgian structure)
Renovated	1832 (Classical remodelling)
Owner	Teagasc
Technical details
Material	granite
Floor count	2 over basement
Grounds	220 ha (540 acres)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	William Vitruvius Morrison (Main house remodelling)
Developer	Henry Bruen (1832 works)

History

The estate was purchased by Irish MP Henry Bruen in 1775 and was substantially remodelled to its current form by the architect William Vitruvius Morrison in 1832.^[2] It remained in the family until 1957, being inhabited by Bruen's son and grandson, both MPs of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.^[3]

In 1960 the property was sold to the state via the Irish Land Commission, and it ultimately became the headquarters of Teagasc in the 21st century.

Buildings and structures

The site includes several notable buildings and structures including Oak Park House. What was originally an extensive Georgian house dating from around 1760 was remodelled in 1832 to become a five-bay, two-storey house. The redesign was led by William Vitruvius Morrison and Richard Morrison.^[4] A granite ionic triumphal arch was also constructed to their design.^[5][6]

The house was later extensively restored following a fire by architect William Mansfield Mitchell in 1902.

Other structures on the estate include:

• A mausoleum (built c. 1841; now ruined), designed by John B. Keane in a Greek Revival style^[7][8]
• Oakpark Graveyard (c. 1700–1750), with remains of a church built c. 1725^[9]
• A two-storey stable complex (built c. 1750–1780), renovated in 1985^[10]
• A single-arch cast-iron bridge (built c. 1815), designed by George Papworth^[11][12]

Other facilities

120 acres (49 ha) of the site are now operated by the Carlow Tourist Office as Oak Park Forest Park.^[13] The admission-free park, which features 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) of nature trails, won a Royal Dublin Society Irish Forestry Award in 2013.^[14][15]

Oak Park also hosts a 590-acre (239 ha) "national centre for tillage and bio-energy crops research", operated by Teagasc.^[16]

Gallery

Triumphal arch on the Oak Park estate

A house party at Oak Park, 1901

See also

• Carlow County Museum
• Duckett's Grove
• List of country houses in County Carlow