Pebble mosaic restoration. Powerscourt Estate. Co. Wicklow

Back in 2016 I was commissioned to restore the large pebble mosaics staircases and terraces at the famous Powerscourt Estate, Co. Wicklow.

Wicklow's most visited attraction, Powerscourt Estate is this magnificent 64-sq-km estate.

The 20-hectare landscaped gardens are the star attraction, originally laid out in the 1740s but redesigned in the 19th century by gardener Daniel Robinson. Robinson was one of the foremost horticulturalists of his day.

While the house itself is quite impressive, it is the gardens that are quite spectacular and I have visited them many times over the years. In fact, the gardens were voted 3rd best gardens in the world, by National Geographic.

I have marvelled at these mosaic terraces in the past and despaired at their poor state of disrepair. So in Early 2016 I was delighted to be contacted by the estate to restore some of the mosaics on the estate.

Built in the late 1800’s this huge mosaic pavement and staircases have taken a lot of traffic from the large number of tourists that visit the gardens.

Over the next two summers I carefully repaired the 425m2 of pebble mosaic.

In some cases when areas where 100’s of years of bad repairs meant I was forced to completely rebuild sections of the mosaics. It is wonderful to see that the current owners of the Estate are very passionate and committed to restoring the gardens to their former glory. And I commend them on the work they have already done and the great crafts people they have employed to carry out the works.

If you have never been to the gardens, I highly recommend a visit.