Macross House ( ill . Theach Mhucrois ) - a museum-estate 6 km from the city of Killarney , County Kerry , Ireland . It is a mid-19th century mansion located in the center of Killarney National Park . The estate, which is one of the attractions of Ireland, is visited annually by over 250 thousand people.
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History
The building was built for Henry Arthur Herbert and his wife, watercolorist Belfort Mary Herbert. The project was carried out by the famous Scottish architect William Byrne . Construction began in 1839 and was completed in 1843. Initially, the owners wanted to build a larger house than the one that now appears to visitors. But at the request of Mary, the size of the building was reduced, and today the building has 45 rooms. The front rooms are furnished in the Tudor style. In the rooms of the second floor you can see the everyday atmosphere, and in the basement - the kitchen and utility rooms.
In 1861, the English Queen Victoria visited the estate. Preparations for this visit lasted 10 years. After the Queen’s visit, the Herbert family had financial problems, and in 1899 they were forced to sell the estate to the Guinness family. In 1910, a rich American William Bourne acquired the house as a wedding gift for his daughter Maud and son-in-law Arthur Vincent. After Maud died prematurely in 1932, her husband and parents donated the house and property to the Irish nation.
The house was empty for a long time and slowly collapsed. Only in the mid-1960s, after a long restoration, the estate was open to visitors.
In the 1850s, a garden was established here, where red and pink rhododendrons bloom from April to July. In 1972, an arboretum with trees from the southern hemisphere was opened at Macross House.
Not far from home is the Macross Farm, built on the model of 1933, where you can get acquainted with the Irish way of rural life. Tourists can visit a residential cottage, a workshop of a carpenter, a saddler, and a forge. The interiors of the apartment are furnished in a traditional style, and include items such as a buffet and a locker bed.
Each year, the Kerry Culture Festival is held at the Farm, consisting of a series of workshops designed for primary school students.