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Every February, people travel from all over Ireland to visit the gardens at Burtown House for one reason: Snowdrop month.
And, according to owner James Fennell, it’s not hard to understand the timeless appeal of this humble little flower amongst the swathes of aconites, hellebores, crocuses and cyclamen that herald the coming of spring here in Athy, Co Kildare.
“This white little flower that will withstand deep freezing conditions and then pop back up always,” he says. “It looks so delicate, yet it’s so strong.”
A symbol of resilience? Irish Country Living suggests.
James nods.
“And I suppose all of that, it gives people a feeling, I suppose, because it’s so resilient. People are respectful of it.”
It gives people a feeling, I suppose, because it’s so resilient.
Respecting Resilence
And resilience is an apt word to use when talking about Burtown House, which was built in 1710 by Quaker Robert Power as the centre of the then 2000-acre estate, and passed through the female line to the Fennell family, who have lived here since the mid-19th century.
Today, the house and 160-acre farm is home to James, his wife Joanna and their children Bella (11), Mimi (nine) and William (seven), and is just one of two country homes in Kildare still occupied by its original owners.
James explains that when his father, William, inherited the house at 21, it came with two sets of “death duties”, which he only finished paying off three years before he passed away.
“He struggled his entire life,” says James; yet explains that not only did his father keep on to the estate through tillage farming, he also diversified by setting up his own company that made computers for farm machinery, winning a contract with Kverneland in Holland.
Female Influence
The female figures in the family were just as industrious: James’ grandmother, the late Wendy Walsh, was considered Ireland’s foremost botanical artist of her time, while his mother, Lesley Fennell, is a respected painter and keen gardener who restored and expanded the gardens at Burtown House, which were originally set out by James’ grandmother, Isabel Shackleton.
James clearly inherited traits from all of the above; as well as tillage farming and forestry, he has also worked as a professional photographer in locations as far flung as Sri Lanka.
After he and Joanna started their family, however, they began to look at other opportunities closer to home.
The Green Barn
“In 2008, we decided we’d open the gardens because they’d become so big we needed them to make an income,” he explains, adding that the next logical step was to set up a small courtyard café serving light lunches; which soon became an attraction in itself.
“There are more people interested in food than in gardens, quite simply, and also, we were very, very keen on food production,” says James of their decision in 2016 to build The Green Barn: a 150-seater restaurant, gallery, shop and event space, which they managed to mostly finance themselves by making the call to sell a field.
Standing Out from the Crowd
While there is no shortage of good restaurants in Ireland, James says what makes The Green Barn stand apart is that the majority of the ingredients are sourced from their own farm.
From the start, they have worked with the respected grower, Dermot Carey, who specialises in creating and developing kitchen gardens from walled gardens to field-scale production.
“He looked at the site, looked at the kitchen garden and he said: ‘This is the real deal,’” recalls James, who explains that he, Joanna, Dermot and their head chef work together when planning their menus around the planting year.
“When you have the best possible ingredients, you don’t have to do very much with them,” he continues.
Take it back to the basics: it’s all about the produce and how very little you need to do with it.
As well as the walled garden, they have a four-acre field of organic produce for winter and plan to put up a polytunnel this year, with anything additional sourced as locally as possible.
While James admits there have been challenges, such as learning how to manage the restaurant floor efficiently, he says that The Green Barn is becoming a “destination restaurant” for everybody from foodies and gardeners to culture vultures.
They also host exhibitions, weddings and special events – such as the upcoming Wood Fired Spring Feast with Gill Meller of River Cottage fame on 17 February – while in the next five years, they hope to develop “Ireland’s biggest maze”, with high-end rustic cabins for holiday makers, having successfully converted the former stable yard to guest accommodation.
“We’re never short of ideas, myself and Joanna,” says James, though admits that like every generation before him, “a big worry” is getting though the inheritance process and obtaining tax relief on agriculture and heritage grounds to secure Burtown House for the next generation.
“It’s pretty stressful,” he says. “Like all they have to do is say, ‘sorry, we’re not giving you the relief’, and we’ve lost our house. And it’s just amazing that that can actually happen.”
Yet – much like the snowdrop – you expect that the family behind Burtown House will be there to see many more springs to come. CL
For further information about Snowdrop month at Burtown House, visit www.burtownhouse.ie. Opening hours are Wednesday to Sun 10am-5.30pm. Adults cost €8, children €5, and under fives go free. There is no fee to visit The Green Barn.
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