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Deservedly lauded as a 'great garden of the world' and now becomingone of the South-East’s (and Ireland’s) most exceptional visitor attractions following a €7m redevelopment, Mount Congreve’s beautiful 70-acre woodland gardens and 4-acre walled gardens lie within an easily accessed 140-acre estate off the N25, just 10 minutes outside Waterford City and adjacent to the Waterford Greenway.
The18th century Mount Congreve House, which is now open to visitors for the first time, was home to six generations of the Congreves merchant family - notably the late Ambrose Congreve, who began work on the gardens in the 1950s and died in 2011 at the age of 104, when en-route to the Chelsea Flower Show!
The recent works include ‘a re-invigoration of the gardens’ and much else besides, including new walking routes, a woodland playground for families, a wetlands walk (the one for dog owners), and an immersive audio-visual exhibition of the garden and family history.
Also, in an atmospheric glass-roofed courtyard, there’s a new visitor centre where simply delicious plot-to-plate menus and good home baking are offered at The Stables Café – while traditional Afternoon Tea, complete with tiered cake stands and bone china tea sets, is available by reservation at The Tack Room.
CLIFF (the brand of another Co Waterford gem Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore and Cliff at Lyons estate in Kildare, among other associated businesses) are the operators of The Stables Café, where a creative menu has been rolled out by The Pantry at CLIFF, who have operated their café on the grounds of the 19th century village of the Cliff at Lyons since 2018. So, with the menus informed by Waterford’s best food, drinks and ingredient producers, visitors can expect to enjoy some excellent breakfast and lunch dishes, Afternoon Tea and grab-and-go options here. Interestingly, the chefs arealso working with the new Mount Congreve School of Horticulture who are restoring the walled gardens and help to produce as much fruit and vegetables as possible for the café. The café offering was designed by CLIFF Executive Chef Sean Smith, of the beautiful Mill Restaurant at Cliff at Lyons, while Head Chef Bruno Caveirina, who previously worked for Cliff Townhouse in Dublin and more recently at 360 Cookhouse in Dungarvan (a winner of our Pet Friendly award), leads a strong kitchen team that is focused on seasonality - all complemented by Café Manager Nelson Saraiva, who is originally from Portugal but has worked for CLIFF for over 10 years.
Accommodation is also available - initially at The Gate Lodge, which is open for stylish self-catering stays, and more accommodation conversions on the estate are to follow.
