Charles 11 (1772-1857)

Carried on extensive work at Hamwood with his wife Caroline adding on the side wings and Pavilions at either end , and further designing the walled garden and the front and rear lawn areas. Caroline insisted on many more trees being planted to help create shelter for the strong winds particularly coming from the cold East. Remembering that when she arrived at Hamwood in early 1800’s it was a cold and  bleak situation and very exposed being 300 feet above sea level. It may not sound particularly high but in relatively flat Leinster there was nothing between the House and the East coast!

Caroline and her husband were greatly involved in the interior design of the house , the furnishings , artwork and ornaments. They formed the library comprising of the extensive literature available at the time , not limited to Irish and English but international particularly French and German .

Charles Robert IV 1846-1913

Married Louise Brooke in 1874 who had 10 children, of whom 2 boys died in infancy, one being the first born and heir. The two chestnut trees in the Lawn field seen from the Trail were planted in their memory. There were 6 daughters among whom were the exceptional artists Letitia and Eva, and of the boys Gerald Charles the future heir, and Freddie.
Charles Robert was educated at home by a governess and at the age of 17 he went to Trinity to study law. He was a member of the Kildare Street Club and was passionate about the garden at Hamwood, where he transformed the Walled Garden, and in order to create an impact he employed a head gardener from Kew Gardens in London. He gained a great deal of help from his large family, particularly Connie (Constance), who took up landscaping professionally.
Charles Robert travelled with his wife to the continent frequently and at times further afield to visit relations in Canada near Montreal. He corresponded with Kew Gardens in London and in particular with Sir Frederick Moore at The Royal Botanical Gardens Glasnevin. Sir Frederick was a Keeper of Glasnevin from 1879-1922. Charles IV and F.W. Moore became well known to each other and traded extensively in exotic and rare plants and trees discovered by the ‘Plant hunters’ of the day.
Both men however had an instinctive practicality about their work ensuring a plant or tree was planted with every care taken over aspect and soil conditions etc, but at the same time being prepared to grow ambitious types from all over the world not quite knowing how they would fare in the Irish climate. On the whole Charles IV was quite successful. The exceptionally tall Trachycarpus Fortunei standing at the edge of the Zen Garden is tribute to his expertise.
In his time there were up to 8 or 10 men working at Hamwood, half of whom worked in the gardens. At that time there were tall beech and yew hedges surrounding the lawns which were immaculately clipped by hand to form ‘battlements’. These can be seen in watercolours by Letitia around 1900. These hedges offered further protection for the roses and flowers grown within from the fierce winds that are merciless at blooming time. There were also at least six greenhouses in full operation at the time. These were heated all year round from a coal fired boiler in the walled garden which pumped hot water through a piped system and ensured temperatures were kept reasonably constant to achieve the best growth.

The greenhouses produced the following :-
Picked flowers – A great assortment of lilies and such used for floral displays in the house.
Vines – Producing grapes for the household.
Peaches and nectarines – Tasting better than anything available in supermarkets these days.
Runner beans, peas .
Tomatoes – The smell of ripening tomatoes on the vine is one never forgotten.
Sweet peas, in abundance. Attracting all sorts of insect life and helping pollination.

The area now given over to being a paddock for sheep, horses and the occasional donkey, was formerly a horticultural garden producing soft fruits, some of which were as follows:-

Blackcurrants
Redcurrants
Gooseberries
Strawberries
Raspberries
Damsen
Figs

There was in addition a large orchard (several acres) where mainly apple trees were grown, but also plums, pears and cherries, in abundance.
Every week a cartload of fruit and vegetables would go to the market in Dublin – fresh, organic produce.

In part of the walled garden grew Hazel nut trees and walnuts in the orchard. We are currently looking into growing almond trees at Hamwood Gardens. Watch this space!

Charles IV was probably the most influential of all generations in creating an abundant, colourful and exotic garden here at Hamwood.

The reasons for this are probably due to
a) his own persona. An intelligent (trained as a lawyer), tough, hard working character with a great vision and ideas.
b) it was a time of prosperity and he was affluent enough to be able to fulfil his plans.
c) he had a good and enthusiastic number of staff as well as an interested and hands on family, all of whom did their bit. It is fortunate that we have watercolours of the Gardens painted by Letitia Hamilton around this time giving a pictorial insight into the dramatic colour schemes created. They are truly exceptional.
d) his communication and relationships with key individuals such as F.W.Moore and of course a father in CWH who had such vast knowledge in the science of Horticulture and Agriculture.

Charles VI

Charles VI, or the Major (from his time in the Indian army) as he was generally referred, took over in 1962, when Ireland was undergoing a brief period of prosperity. He started with 3 men to help work on the farm and gardens, one being a retired chauffeur who subsequently died and was never replaced. Despite great efforts from him and his wife Anne the gardens continued to decline. The glass roofs of the greenhouses were constantly battered by ferocious storms , even despite the shelter of the walled garden, and gradually more and more of the glass crashed to the floor. Eventually they became irreparable and in the 70’s the diggers moved in. They were shoved up into a giant bank, which thankfully has now been cleaned away after much sifting through of glass, brick, metal, soil and whole trees growing out of it!!

The Major planted many of the shrubs and ornamental trees you see here today. He had a particular penchant for Maples, Magnolias and Mallow. It sounds like he might have been stuck on the letter M of the index in a horticultural book.. but no, in truth it was due to his fondness of these particular plants. Maples probably due to his mother originating from Canada, Magnolias for their ability to grow well at Hamwood and their beauty, and the Mallow or Hibiscus from India where he spent  some of the best years 1938-1947 and influenced him to grow many other trees and shrubs he would have seen in the Himalayas and around Gilgit where he was stationed for much of his time there.

The Major also spent much of the 60’s and 70’s in West Cork and many of the Irises and such trees as the Chilean Firebush (Embothrium) would have been seen down there around Sheep’s Head peninsular where he enjoyed the beach side property of Ahakista House.

Much of the planting was done by dividing bulbs, digging up saplings and transplanting them, and grafting and splicing young trees.

Charles VI was particularly responsible for replanting much of the Pine Walk with Azaleas, Maples, Camelias and Magnolias adding wonderful colour to the beautiful Arboretum created by previous generations, particularly CWH.