Beaulieu House and Gardens, Co. Louth

Beaulieu House and Gardens is an estate in Drogheda, Co. Louth, Republic of Ireland. It was thought to be built in the 1660s,[1] although later research seems to suggest it was built around 1715,[2] and it includes a terraced walled garden.[3] It is located 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Drogheda less than half a mile from the estuary of the River Boyne.[4][5]

Beaulieu House
For other uses, see Beaulieu.

History

The lands around the current Beaulieu were owned by the de Verdun family at the end of the 12th century. The Plunkett family, originally from Dublin, married into the de Verduns and became associated with the area from the early 14th century onwards. The Plunketts had to surrender the lands after the Confederate war in the mid-17th century.[6]

The predecessor to the present house was a Jacobean manor house constructed in 1628.

Sir Benjamin Tichborne, 1st Baronet of England (c.1540 – 6 September 1629), MP for Petersfield 1588-1589 and Hampshire 1593 had a younger son and judge, Sir Henry Tichborne who went on to defend the attempted siege of Drogheda in 1642 in the Irish Confederate Wars. Henry was awarded lands at Beaulieu in 1666[7] and the manor on which to rebuild if he wished and he did so with the input of two further generations.

His eldest son was Sir William Tichborne of Beaulieu whose eldest son was another Henry Tichborne and who was created a Baronet (1697) and later Baron Ferrard of Beaulieu (1715) however he, Henry Tichborne (1663–1731), had no surviving sons. The family later intermarried with the family of Admiral Nelson. The house remains with descendants and the rural villages of Beaulieu Cross and Beltichburn in the nearby country was named after the house and them respectively.[8]

The walled garden has 4 acres (1.6 ha) of formal plant landscape and a good variety of horticulture.

Today

Guided tours of the estate are available on selected days during the summer months.[9] The grounds and house also offer the ability to host weddings,[10] trade shows, conferences, training days or photograph backdrop.[11]

Motor racing museum

Gabriel De Freitas, the late owner who was in the 10th generation of the Tichbornes raced under the name Gabriel Konig, and was a prominent 1960s-1970s female racing driver. She collected classic racing and rally saloons with alongside a few other classic, luxury cars which form the motor racing museum. As such the venue has parallels to Beaulieu Abbey and its National Motor Museum in Hampshire in the United Kingdom.[11]

References
  1. "Beaulieu House Gardens - Gardens - Drogheda". Ireland.com. 1 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  2. "Beaulieu House, County Louth: Buildings of Ireland: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage". Buildingsofireland.ie. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  3. "The Country House". Askaboutireland.ie. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  4. "Beaulieu House & Garden - Beaulieu, Drogheda , Co. Louth, Ireland". IrishTourist.com. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  6. "Townlands and Placenames". Termonfeckinhistory.ie. 9 November 2006. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  7. Dunlop, Robert "Henry Tichborne" Dictionary of National Biography 1885-1900 Vol. 56 pp.375-7
  9. "Guided Tours of Beaulieu House, Gardens & Motor Collection : Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland | Beaulieu House Ireland". Beaulieuhouse.ie. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  11. "Default Parallels Plesk Panel Page". Beaulieu.ie. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
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