Turlough Park House reopens after refurbishment

TURLOUGH Park House near Castlebar has reopened to the public following refurbishment and enhancement works over the winter and spring months.

The Victorian Gothic period house forms an integral part of the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, set in the grounds of Turlough Park, and is maintained by the Office of Public Works.

Works carried out include refurbishment in two formal rooms; restoration works to timber floors, a flagstone hallway, stairway and landing; detailing on all of the exterior woodwork; and some conservation work on furniture and fittings.

The most significant works have taken place in the entrance hall and drawing room, which have been newly wallpapered in designs by the celebrated 19th century architect and designer, Augustus Pugin.

Pugin became widely known in England and Ireland in the 1800s for his pioneering role in Gothic revival architecture. One of his most famous projects is the interior design of the Palace of Westminster in London.

Two types of Pugin designed wallpaper have been used in the refurbishment of Turlough Park House, both originally commissioned in the mid-19th century by the Earl of Shrewsbury for his Jacobean mansion Ingestre Hall in Staffordshire.

Called ‘Pineapple’ and ‘Shrewsbury Welby’, Watts of Westminster, a company specialising in period wall coverings, reproduced the designs for Turlough Park House.

Mr. Tony Candon, manager/keeper of the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, stated: “These works bring a new vibrancy and warmth to this beautiful period home and give a sense of what it must have been like to live here in days gone by.

“Turlough Park House and gardens provide an excellent opportunity to experience a 19th century ‘Big House’ while also experiencing how ordinary Irish people lived in rural Ireland in the same era, through the National Folklife Collection, housed next door in the main exhibition galleries.

“We look forward to continuing improvements of the house and this visitor experience and thank the OPW for their ongoing work and commitment in this regard.”