Excursion Bantry house & gardens tour at Bantry

Bantry House is the ancestral home of the Earls of Bantry, still lived in by their descendant Egerton Shelswell-White and his family. Set in beautiful surroundings overlooking Bantry Bay, the house has a splendid collection tapestries and other works of art gathered by the 2nd Earl of Bantry during his travels in various parts of Europe.

The structure of the gardens as we know them today dates back to the second Earl of Bantry’s travels.  Both he and Mary, his wife, travelled with notebooks and sketchbooks (now in the Archive at University College Cork) at hand, which helped to transform the small house at home into a “palazzo” comparable to those he had seen on the continent. He terraced the land around the house, seven terraces in all, with the house sitting on the third terrace. A parterre facing south surrounding a wisteria circle which again surrounds a fountain was also created. From there rise the famous Hundred Steps, a monumental staircase built of local stone, set amidst azaleas and rhododendron.

Visit the house on a guided tour and then enjoy some fee time exploring the beautiful gardens.   

Note

Please note: This tour involves a moderate amount of walking with some stairs to negotiate at the house and many steps to reach the top of the garden. Guests are advised to wear warm, comfortable clothing with flat, closed-toe walking shoes, and bring weatherproof jacket from the ship.