Irish Museum of Modern Art

Square-plan garden to front (north) of Royal Hospital Kilmainham, laid out c.1700, restored c.1980. Rubble limestone boundary walls with carved urns atop limestone coping to south, render and red brick coping to other walls. Some red brick lining to interior of wall to north. Segmental-headed opening to passage to south elevation having red brick surround, cast-iron gate. Staircase to south elevation, having paired dog-leg flights with central perron, having rendered retaining walls, sandstone balustrade having urns, round-headed niche to front, nosed granite steps. Entrance to west elevation comprising pair of square-profile rusticated limestone piers with rusticated limestone capping, flanking double-leaf timber panelled doors. Corresponding entrance to east elevation blocked. Geometric layout of garden with perimeter walks and cross walks, central circular pond having carved granite surround and later sculpture. South half of garden laid out in parterres consisting of patterns created with box hedges, coloured gravel paths, flowers, lawns and topiary. North half laid out as ‘wilderness’ designed woodland area, composed of avenues of hedging and pleached lime trees interspersed with statuary, urns and small trees.

The Master's Garden was a formal designed garden which incorporated fruit and vegetable gardens to feed the occupants of the Hospital, and was therefore of practical as well as aesthetic importance to the complex. It was tended by retired soldiers. For its restoration in the 1980s, features of formal garden design in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were taken into account, such as the geometric layout, rather than recreating the working garden. The contrast between the ‘parterres’ to the south and the ‘wilderness’ to the north is also characteristic of formal garden layout, and creates a strong sense of symmetry which is enhanced by statuary, urns and pieces of modern art which provide artistic interest.