abbey leix gardens

This great estate dates from the middle ages when there was a Cistercian Abbey here. Since the eighteenth century it has been the home of the de Vesci family.

The pleasure grounds extend along the river Nore and around a lake with much ornamental planting in the picturesque style of the eighteenth century. The place is renowned for its fine trees and primeval oak wood which is carpeted with bluebells in spring.

Near the house there are formal terraces which were made in the nineteenth century and inspired by those at the Villa Aloupka on the shores of the Black Sea. Here the gardens with yew hedges and a central fountain overlook a sea of grass and gently undulating parkland.