Castle House is situated on the hillside west of Avoca village, overlooking the Meetings of the Waters, within a large, wooded demesne. It was built in 1811 on the site of an earlier house called Cronebane Lodge which belonged to the director of the Avoca Copper Mines. The Castle was built in part Gothic Romantic Castle style and part in Abbey style by Sir Richard Morrison for Lt. Col. Robert Howard.
The grounds, which slope down towards the river, are really beautiful, and a lot of time and care is put in to maintaining the gardens by long time caretaker Mark Sinnott. Within the grounds there is a small lake and a boathouse. Alongside a high wall, a path leads through formal gardens towards a maze and orchard and to a walled garden. On one side of the path is a clock tower folly, a paved terraced area, and a temple structure with a water feature. The Castle itself backs onto a large lawn dotted with trees and there is access to the woodland to one side too. There is a Laburnum grove, which is magnificent when in full bloom.
If you are lucky enough to be in the area when Castle Howard is open, it’s well worth a visit. The grounds are occasionally open to the public, on selected dates throughout the year, usually once or twice a month.
Open on selected dates - Call Mark in advance to check the next opening date
Castle Howard Estate, Email: marksinnott29@gmail.com Avoca, Phone: 087 298 7601 County Wicklow.
