Visit St Patrick's Church, Powerscourt

In 1857 Elizabeth, Marchioness of Londonderry and widow of Richard Wingfield, the 6th Viscount Powerscourt, offered the parish the present of a new church as a parting gift as she handed Powerscourt Estate over to her son on his 21st Birthday.

Mervyn Edward Wingfield, 7th Viscount Powerscourt (1844-1904) laid the foundation stone of the new church with a mallet and trowel of Wicklow silver on his 21st Birthday in October 1857. The building has a detached gable-fronted early English style designed by the English architect, John Norton (1823-1904) with three-stage corner tower with broach spire to north-east, five bay nave, transept and porch to south and curved chancel to east.

The façade is in random granite rubble with dressed sandstone to openings, dressed quoins and low beveled base course. The pitched roof is slated with alternate bands of bangor blue and Westmoreland slate to the nave, whilst the spire is clad in copper. Pointed arch windows with leaded lattice panes, pointed arch doorways with timber double doors, decorative outer half door to porch, clasping buttresses, slit windows to tower; granite parapets with stone and cast iron finials, cast iron rainwater goods with decorative hoppers.

The church was consecrated on 15th September 1863 although the churchyard came into use for burials in the 1860’s. From research of records for this period, it is striking how many suffered the heartbreak of losing sons and daughters in the slaughter of the Great War, and the consequences of the Easter Rising.

The vision behind Rev. Cathy’s Wild Child Project The project is about nature and learning — and learning is more enjoyable when there is space to explore.
Many children from Powerscourt School visited the wildflower meadow over the month of June. Their questions and stories made for an informative and enjoyable outdoor class. Meadow explorers can be any age, and many visitors have discovered and enjoyed the meadow’s spectacular display and the peacefulness of this special place.
The newly planted Wild Child flower bed and fruit trees are doing well in their first year. We may not see much fruit this year, but we can look forward to future autumns. Over the next two months, regular watering will help the new flower bed, fruit trees, and native hedge become established. We will also begin planning how to further support biodiversity, including the possibility of creating a pond.
The next chapter in the wildflowers’ journey will soon begin. Around September, they will start to drop their seeds. The meadow will then be cut and gathered, leaving the seeds to settle so the cycle can hopefully begin again. Next year’s display will be a little different, as native perennials increasingly form the backbone of the meadow.
Creating a meadow is a learning journey. We can only follow nature’s path and lend a helping hand along the way. Let’s look forward to seeing what awaits!
Visitors are invited to enjoy a stroll around God’s Acre when you have the chance.