Gothic beauty called Johnstown
Let’s go back in time to July 2019 when we went on a trip to East Ireland – to a park called Johnstown which can be found right by Wexford town. This park is not any special except there are peacocks running free & wild and there is a castle, too!
Surely you’ve never seen a castle. Let alone an Irish one! This one in Johnstown is visually different from the rest British-Scottish like castles. The Johnstown one looks more like a chateau (yep, this is an English word).
The first mention of the estate dates back to the 12th century, when it was owned by the Norman family. During the Cromwell era, the estate was confiscated until the end of the 17th century, when it was purchased by John Grogan and his descendants owned the lands until the end of World War II.
The castle dates back to the 19th century and the gardens around it were designed by Daniel Robertson, who is behind the Powerscourt Gardens in Wicklow (I hope I will show you one day! I haven’t had a chance to visit these gardens myself yet but it is a popular spot for locals and tourists alike).
What can you see in Johnstown park?
As already mentioned – the castle. When I was in Johnstown for the first time sometime three years ago, the castle was a ruin and wan’t open to the public. Nowadays guided tours are organized. I haven’t been to the castle yet (mainly because I don’t want to pay €13), but one day I’ll visit this Gothic building.
Peacocks! Running everywhere (And flying! The first time I saw a peacock fly was right here!) beautifully screaming peacocks. And they let you take pictures! There are also several lakes, statues, a café, the remains of fruit and vegetable beds, as well as beehives for bees. Plenty of history across the lands and for real connoisseurs there is also the Irish Agricultural Museum. Apparently there’s even headquarters of the Ministry of the Environment.
These days there is an admission to enter the park and/or castle – not sure whether it’s paid per a car of per person. As for the time – we spent about four hours in the park and we saw everything except the museum and the inside of the castle. And we managed to snack away, too!
