A GRAND DESIGN

The gardens of a neglected Irish country estate are reimagined, balancing classic formality, contemporary vision and naturalistic planting

- JACKY HOBBS

Emsworth sits at the heart of a 17-acre estate, surrounded by ancient woodland, just eight miles north of Dublin. A kink in the quarter-mile drive reveals the first glimpse of the white-washed 18th-century Palladian villa designed by James Gandon. It is now a place where classical and contemporary designs merge to create a breathtaking garden panorama where meticulously manicured emerald lawns are fringed with the estate’s magnificent specimen trees – cedar of Lebanon and the giant redwood, Sequoiadendron gigantea. This country idyll is sliced through with a sleek, stone-edged canal pond, a modern trajectory that darts towards the house, punctuated by clean-shaven box pyramids and balls. A quartet of parterres filled with pink scented Rosa ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ softens the entrance, proportionately in tune with the relatively modest scale of the house. This is the remarkable first impression designers Murphy + Sheanon have created for this beautiful Irish home.

Not so long ago, the entire Emsworth estate lay neglected, strangled by nature and chained in by abandoned security fencing. This unique proposition tempted Dublin businessman Neill Hughes. He acquired Emsworth in 2014 and embarked on an immense programme of restoration and reinvention, keen to create relevant and radiant gardens, while simultaneously, potentially paradoxically, making a garden for his family’s enjoyment and entertainment.