Belvedere House Essay

Belvedere house, gardens and park is owned by Westmeath County Council which is a Local Authority. It is located on the north east shore of lough Ennel and the estate is 160 acres. The house was built on the estate for the then owner Robert Rochfort in 1740. It was designed by the leading architect Richard Cassells who designed many of the stately houses of that period. Robert Rochfort was a cruel man and when he suspected his wife Mary Molesworth of cheating with his brother Arthur he had her placed under house arrest for 31 years until his death. He had his brother Arthur made bankrupt and imprisoned for debts. In 1760 his other brother George built Tudenham House which was directly in view of Belvedere house and was much bigger and grander. . Robert had a wall built to block out the view and this wall which is known as the jealous wall is one of the follies that are of interest to visitors up to the present day. …show more content…
Charles Brinsley Marley was the next owner followed by Charles Howard Bury and from 1963 to 1981 the owner was Rex Beaumont. Westmeath County Council bought the estate from Rex Beaumont and built the visitors centre where the stable yards were located. The development which includes a café, training rooms and a function room was funded by a grant from the European Union to the tune of 5 million punts and the County Council provided the remainder which was approximately two hundred thousand punts. The work also included the restoration of the house, provision of the educational centre, repairs to jealous wall as well as refurbishment of the walled garden and parklands. Car and coach parking as well as roads and signage were also provided. The result of this development is that Belvedere House gardens and parkland provides a multifaceted visitors experience for the thousands of people who visit every