The garden has an irregular shape (See shaded area on map). It slopes upwards to North and East, and the hill behind protects it from N and E winds.
The elevated paths and seating under the trees on the Northern side have views over Cuskinny Bay and Cork Harbour. |
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Many people who pass by don't realise just how big the garden is.
The parking area can hold 5 or 6 cars without anyone getting boxed in. 
(Why it's even got room for lots of ponies.)
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The stone outhouse on the left has an internal space of 15' x 7'4". It was a "room for a pony" for a while a few years ago.
We grow black and redcurrants, raspberries, globe artichokes and a few vegetables on a small patch. The only chemicals used since 1976 have been slug-pellets. The area was all grass before that, so it's likely that the ground has never seen chemical fertilizers or weed-killers. |
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Stone steps lead up to the conservatory and back yard. |
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THere's plenty of space at the rear of the house if you feel the need to build on. A double gable would fit in with the vernacular style and the latest planning guides published by Cork County Council. |
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This is a view of the rear from the raised section of garden. |
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Up here at the edge of the trees you can see a spread of the harbour over the roof. |
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Two sets of steps lead from the back yard to raised areas. |
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A path down to garden level has a raised platform for a bench and has a stone seat further down.
(".. and room for a pony")
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The view from the bench looks directly across the harbour to Crosshaven. |
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Further down the path, a stone seat has a view out the harbour mouth.
"OK, but your're not to take it into the house."
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At the base of the path, there's a walk along the northern boundary leading to a disused pond. Bamboo and box to the left, a stone-wall bank and the neighbouring woods to the right. |
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We had a sit-down Victorian picnic for 20 at the far end of the path under the trees last mid-summer. A wonderful afternoon of wannabe Bloomsday posing was enjoyed by all. |
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There's a view of Cuskinny Bay from the pond. The field and the fields on the hill on the far side of the Bay and nature reserve are zoned as "scenic countryside" in the Cork County Council development plan. The zone goes inland about a mile, curves around behind us to Ballymore Village and then back down to the water. This means that the biggest man-made object (apart from the existing old stone coachhouse)you'll see in this view will probably be a combine harvester. |
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The woods put on a varied display in Autumn. |
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We'll have to find a few decent sunset pictures. They can be quite spectacular. |
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Gave up trying to photograph the sun. It's easier to photograh what it's setting on. |
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