Abbeyleix Estate

Church on Abbeyleix Estate

The old church, which is surrounded by many old and beautiful Irish Yews, is thought to stand on the site of the original Abbey chapel.

Courtesy of Laois County Library

Church on Abbeyleix Estate
Courtesy of Laois County Library

Church on Abbeyleix Estate

The old church, which is surrounded by many old and beautiful Irish Yews, is thought to stand on the site of the original Abbey chapel.

Courtesy of Laois County Library

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Lord De Vesci's magnificent mansion, which stands within a mile of the town, was erected in the year 1774. It is four storeys in height above the basement, and contains many spacious apartments.


The view from the upper windows of the house is extensive and beautiful, including the widely-spreading lawns, the intersecting River Nore, which, in its downward progress from its source in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, winds through the grounds in a pleasing serpentine form, and the deer park, the timber on which was valued over fifty years ago at a sum exceeding twenty thousand pounds.
 

The beautiful terrace and exceedingly lovely parterre, which lie before the south front of the mansion, excite the attention and call forth the admiration of the visitor. The mansion, gardens and demesne are set amidst some of the loveliest scenery in the midlands.