A Future for Irish Historic Houses - Irish Heritage Trust

Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford
Johnstown Castle is located a short distance from Wexford town. Originally the
ancestral home of the Esmonde family, it is now owned by the state and run by
Teagasc (Food and Agricultural Authority):
- The castle was last rebuilt around 1840 to the design of Daniel Robertson,
perhaps more noted for his design of Powerscourt Gardens in Wicklow. It
is a fine example of Gothic-Revival architecture.
- The last private owner, Capt. M. V. Lakin, gifted the house to the state in
1945. It was taken over by the Department of Agriculture that year which
undertook to maintain but not alter ‘the ornamental nature of the gardens
and pleasure grounds of the estate’.
- The grounds continue to be maintained to a very high standard, attracting
up to 40,000 visitors per annum. The demesne includes three man-made
lakes. The landscaping of the surrounding grounds, including the
construction of the castle lake, may also have been the work of Daniel
Robertson.
- The complex now also includes the Irish Agricultural Museum which is
located in the old farmyard, about 100 metres from the castle. It attracts
around 30,000 visitors per annum.
- The castle is actually located in a prime tourist area. Over 1.5 million
tourists arrive at Rosslare every year, which is only a few miles away. As
Johnstown is one of only a few surviving country houses between
Wexford and Dublin as one travels north, its commercial capacity could be
exploited much more fully.
Unfortunately, the castle has not been maintained to a high standard:
- The original integrity of the house has suffered greatly as a result of its use
as a residential agricultural college from 1945 to 1960 and its continued
use thereafter as a research institute. Rooms were converted into
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