Mount Congreve is a 17th-century Georgian estate and

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...

situated near the village of

Kilmeaden Kilmeaden or Kilmeadan () is a village in County Waterford, Ireland. It is west of the centre of Waterford, Waterford city on the R680 road (Ireland), R680 road. The village is in a Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of the same name. Kil ...

County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The architect was

John Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American jurist serving since 2005 as the 17th chief justice of the United States. He has been described as having a Moderate conservatism, moderate conservative judicial philosophy, thoug ...

, a Waterford-based architect who subsequently designed and built most of the 18th-century public buildings in Waterford, including both cathedrals. The House is situated close to the Southern bank of the

River Suir The River Suir ( ; or ''Abhainn na Siúire'' ) is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean through Waterford after a distance of . The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2.

approximately 7 kilometres from

Waterford City Waterford ( ) is a city in County Waterford in the south-east of Ireland. It is located within the province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford Harbour. It is the oldest County Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...

to the North.

Background and history

The Congreve family originated in

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

which was their principal seat from the 14th century. The first of the family to settle in the Waterford area was the Rev John Congreve (1654-1710). His grandson and heir, John Congreve had Mount Congreve built in 1760 a number of years after holding the position of the High Sheriff of County Waterford. Mount Congreve then remained the residence of six successive generations of the Congreve family until the death of Ambrose Congreve at the age of 104 in 2011. The successive holders of the estate from 1760 were as follows: * John Congreve married Mary Ussher in 1758 and had Mount Congreve built in 1760. * His son, Ambrose Ussher Congreve (–1809) married Anne Jenkins. * His son, John Congreve (1801–1863) married Louisa Harriet Dillon, daughter of Luke Dillon, 2nd Baron Clonbrock. * His son, Ambrose Congreve III (1832–1901) married Alice Elizabeth Dillon, daughter of Robert Dillon, 3rd Baron Clonbrock. * His son, Major John Congreve (1872–1957) married Lady Helena Blanche Irene Ponsonby, daughter of

Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough file:Chapel, Stansted Park- memorial (4) (geograph 1913346).jpg, Memorial in the chapel at Stansted Park Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough, (1 March 1851 – 1 December 1920), known as Viscount Duncannon from 1895 until 1906, was a U ...

. * His son, Ambrose Christian Congreve (1907–2011) married Margaret Gholson Glasgow. Ambrose Christian Congreve died in 2011 and left the estate in trust to the Irish State. The contents of the house including the Mount Congreve Library collection were sold by public auction in May (London by Christie's) and July (Waterford by Mealy's) 2012. John Congreve assembled the Mount Congreve Library, an interesting and valuable collection of books, many of which bore a unique bookplate comprising the arms of Congreve impaling those of Ussher. The library was catalogued by John Congreve's grandson and namesake and a catalogue of the library was published in 1827. Mount Congreve was reportedly the last house in Ireland to employ liveried servants. At the time of Griffith's Valuation, in 1850, Mount Congreve was valued at £68 10s.

Gardens

The gardens of the estate comprise seventy acres of intensively planted

woodland garden A woodland garden is a garden or section of a garden that includes large trees and is laid out so as to appear as more or less natural woodland, though it is often actually an artificial creation. Typically it includes plantings of flowering shrub ...

and a four-acre walled garden. The entire collection consists of over three thousand different trees and shrubs, more than two thousand Rhododendrons, six hundred Camellias, three hundred Acer cultivars, six hundred conifers, two hundred and fifty climbers and fifteen hundred herbaceous plants. It is internationally recognised for its rare species of plants and also its plant nurseries. Ambrose Congreve's gardening achievements were acknowledged by Queen Elizabeth, who awarded him a CBE for services to horticulture, and by Trinity College Dublin, which granted him an honorary doctorate. Ambrose Congreve also won 13 Gold Medal awards at the Chelsea Garden Show in London for this garden. The gardens are open to the public.

References

External links

* {{coord, 52, 14, 21, N, 7, 12, 51, W, region:IE_type:landmark, display=title Gardens in County Waterford Historic houses in County Waterford Woodland gardens