Irlanda - Bantry - Bantry House
www.bantryhouse.com/
ENGLISH:
Bantry House is a historic house with gardens in Bantry, County Cork, Ireland. Bantry House (originally called 'Blackrock') was constructed in about 1700 on the South side of Bantry Bay. In 1750, Councillor Richard White bought Blackrock from Samuel Hutchinson and changed the name to Seafield. The Whites had settled on Whiddy Island across the Bay in the late 17th century, after having originally been merchants in Limerick. The family prospered and considerable purchases of land were made in the area surrounding the house. By the 1780s, Bantry House comprised some 80,000 acres (320 km²) (though much of this would not be arable).
The gardens to Bantry House were developed by the second Earl of Bantry and his wife Mary. Inspiration was taken from their travels across Europe. The gardens contain seven terraces; the house is located on the third. One hundred steps are located behind the house and are built to appear to rise out of a fountain and are surrounded by azaleas and rhododendron. The gardens are constantly tended and maintained.
During the aborted invasion of 1796, part of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, Bantry House was used for the storage of munitions by the defenders.
In 1796, Theobald Wolfe Tone and the United Irishmen attempted to land a formidable French armada, commanded by Admiral Hoche, in Bantry Bay. It was intended to expel the British and establish an Irish Republic. The armada consisted of 50 naval warships and 15,000 men. Richard White, having heard about the invasion had trained a militia to oppose the landing as he and his tenants were loyal to the British crown. Munitions were stored in Bantry House for safe keeping. Look outs were posted on Both Mizen Head and Sheep's Head to send warning of an invasion. In the end the French armada never had a chance of landing. The weather was too severe, and even ship to ship communication was too difficult. 10 ships were lost. One of these the 'Surveillante' remained on the bottom of Bantry Bay for almost 200 years.
The ship was discovered in 1982. In 1985 it was declared a national monument and work began on the excavation, preservation and exhibition of the ship and its contents. The Armada Centre showcased the story of the attempted French landing in West Cork and contained excavated from the wreck in Bantry Bay as well as a 1 to 6 scale model of 'The Surveillante'. The centre also tells the story of Theobald Wolfe Tone, with extracts from his log and a life-size statue. Visitors could also enjoy the individual sound tour of the Armada Centre.
The house has been open to tourism since 1946. Since about 1990 it has offered bed and breakfast accommodation.
By 1997 the grounds of Bantry House were suffering from neglect in certain places. A European grant was obtained to start the restoration process. Funding ceased in 2000. The restoration work is still ongoing.
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ESPAÑOL:
Bantry House1 es una mansión histórica con jardines situada en Bantry, condaco de Cork, Irlanda. La mansión es propiedad de la familia White, condes de Bantry desde 1739.
Alrededor del año 1700 se inició la construcción de la mansión en el lado sur de la Bahía de Bantry, denominándose en un principio Blackrock. En 1750 Richard White compró la mansión a Samuel Hutchinson cambiándole el nombre a Seafield. La familia White se estableció al principio en las islas Whiddy situadas en la bahía siendo provenientes de Limerick en dónde eran comerciantes. La familia prosperó y adquirió numerosas tierras en la zona. En la década de 1780 la mansión Bantry ocupaba 320 km2. La fachada norte se añadió al conjunto más tarde.
Los jardines fueron diseñados por el segundo conde de Bantry y su esposa Mary. Se inspiraron en sus numerosos viajes a lo largo de Europa. Los jardines contienen siente terrazas en total estando localidad la casa en la tercera terraza. La famosa escalera de 100 peldaños (o escalera al cielo) está localizada detrás de la casa partiendo del jardín italiano.
Entre los jardines cabe destacar el jardín italiano, inspirado en un viaje a Italia y más concretamente en los jardines Boboli en Florencia. Este jardín posee un estanque central con una fuente realiza da sobre 1850.
Otro jardín es el denominado jardín de las rosas, plantado en el siglo XVIII.
El centro de la armada francesa está situado en las caballerizas de la mansión. En esta mansión se recrea la frustrada invasión de Theobald Wolfe Tone y de las tropas armadas que comandaba para unirse a las tropas francesas encabezadas por el almirante Hoche. El ejército estaba compuesto por cincuenta barcos de guerra 15.000 hombres. El contingente no pudo desembarcar por el mal tiempo tuvo que regresar tras perder diez barcos.
Uno de los barcos hundidos (el "Surveillante") fue descubierto en 1982. En 1985 fue declarado Monumento Nacional y comenzaron los trabajos de excavación, preservación, restauración y exhibición del barco y sus contenidos. El centro muestra la historia del intento de desembarco francés en la bahía de Bantry.
En 1946 Bantry House fue abierta al público y desde principios de la década de 1990 ofrece servicio de hotel.
