Belvedere House and Gardens

Belvedere House and Gardens
Belvedere House and Gardens
	The exterior, and the Drawing Room
Type	Country house
Location	Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland
Area	160 acres (65 ha)
Built	1740
Architect	Richard Cassels
Architectural style(s)	Palladian
Owner	Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere (1740—1774); George Rochfort, 2nd Earl of Belvedere (1774—1828); Brinsley Butler, 4th Earl of Lanesborough (1828—1847); Charles Brinsley Marlay (1847—1912); Charles Howard-Bury (1912—1963); Rex Beaumont (1963—1982); Westmeath County Council (1982—present);

Belvedere House and Gardens is a country house located approximately 8 kilometres (5 mi) from Mullingar, County Westmeath in Ireland on the north-east shore of Lough Ennell. It was built in 1740 as a hunting lodge for Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere by architect Richard Cassels, one of Ireland's foremost Palladian architects.

The house is known for its Diocletian windows and nineteenth-century terracing. When Robert Rochfort decided to use Belvedere as his principal residence, he employed French stuccatore Barthelemij Cramillion, to execute the Rococo plasterwork ceilings. The landscaped demesne has the largest folly and spite wall in the country, The Jealous Wall, built to block off the view of his estranged brother's house nearby. There is also Victorian walled garden and several hectares of forest. The house has been fully restored and the grounds attract approximately 160,000 visitors annually.

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