‘Cultural jewel’ – Historic county Kilkenny tea room reopens

The Tea Room conservatory at Woodstock Gardens and Arboretum has reopened to the public.

The beautiful team room was officially opened by the Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Fidelis Doherty. last Friday.

The Woodstock Tea Room had been closed to the public since 2018. Since then, the Parks Department of Kilkenny County Council took this opportunity to undertake a number of significant enhancements works on this much-loved structure.

The original construction was designed by Richard Turner, the famous Ironmaster responsible for the glasshouses located in the Botanic Gardens, Dublin and Kew Gardens in London. The construction was completed in 1856 and was described at the time as one of Turner’s finest designs.

But this original structure was sadly demolished in the 1950’s and what you see today is an exact recreation of the original design which was fabricated by the talented Power Foundry  in New Ross in 2004. Since that time, it has remained a must see for visitors to the Gardens and is a much photographed location, while also offering the public the opportunity to sit within the beautiful structure to enjoy refreshments during the summer months.

Cllr Doherty said: “Woodstock Gardens and Arboretum is without any question one of the real natural and cultural jewels in the County and indeed all of the south east.

“Since the Gardens and Arboretum came into the ownership of Kilkenny County Council in 1999 they have been lovingly restored and the importance of having such a wonderful amenity of this nature available to the public, in terms of the benefits to our physical and mental wellbeing, has really come into sharp focus since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Local resident the councillor, Michael Doyle, who is Chair of the Municipal District of Callan/Thomastown. acknowleded “the great work of the Inisitioge Tidy Towns Group over many years”.

Cllr Doyle added: “All the recent improvements within the village and the Woodstock Estate add to the visitor offering of the wider area and he expects that this will give a significant boost to the local economy as we re-emerge from the lockdown and into the future.”