Our History
The Ancient Dromgarriff Oakwood would have been part of Glengarriff National Park and in turn part of a larger area of oakwood stretching from the coast up onto the surrounding hillsides, it would have been a wonderful ecosystem in itself and a beautiful feature set in the wider landscape but also a very important resource to the local communities. The 19th Century estate was the home to the Roche’s Royal Hotel, designed by its owner, also an architect, Edward Roche in the latter half of the 19th Century. Roche had trained as an architect in the UK prior to taking on the family business on his return to Ireland in 1872. A major fire caused serious damage to the original building in 1910 but repairs must have been implemented as records show that the hotel was still operating in the 1920’s.
The Oakwoods would have surrounded the grounds of the hotel and remnants of the old functioning and ornate estate can be vaguely observed through the presence of the railings and structures in places, which can also be seen in some old images. We can also see the shadow of the old designed and ornamental grounds, there are many introduced species of trees, mostly conifer, throughout the grounds and these are more widely represented the closer to the original building one gets. Through further investigation and exploration the underlying structure of the terraces/walls and the rock garden structure can be read. Some of these trees are notable by their size, species and planting date.
Although the 19th and early 20th Century was a time of change and heightened activity on the estate the presence of the Oceanic Oak Wood far outdates any design, structure or exotic species that we can see today.
The Estate was a retreat and holiday destination, people were proud of their time on the estate and elements of the historic structure can still be found nestling in the understory.
With much appreciation for all the research done by Eliane Zimmermann.
