THROUGH MY LENS Birr Castle (Part 1)

Birr Castle  is a large castle in the town of Birr in County Offaly, Ireland. It is the home of The 7th Earl of Rosse, and as such the residential areas of the castle are not open to the public, though the grounds and gardens of the demesne are publicly accessible.  However I had the priveledge of having a tour and on a day that Lord and Lady Rosse were preparing for having guests to a luncheon party.  

Obviously as it is their private home, no photographs could be taken inside and the images I am showing you here were taken through the windows of the castle and they are of the grounds and perhaps you can see the Great Telescope which I will be showing you next Monday 10 September. The other images are as I apprached the castle.

A great surprise was when I entered the library and found Lord Rosse there and he explained and carefully showed me (with white gloves on) some very old books and manuscripts relating to Birr Castle. I also met Lady Rosse as we passed through the hall.

I did not know what a ha-ha was and it is NOT a moat.

A ha-ha is a recessed landscape design element that creates a vertical barrier while preserving an uninterrupted view of the landscape beyond. The design includes a turfed incline which slopes downward to a sharply vertical face, typically a masonry retaining wall.

These are both of their coat of arms on the gates.

if you are interested in knowing more about the familly history, CLICK HERE
I am linking to THROUGH MY LENS.

Many thanks for visiting and also for your comments.