Belvedere House, Gardens & Park

Nestled on the shores of Lough Ennell near Mullingar, Belvedere House, Gardens & Park is a jewel in the crown
of County Westmeath, a sprawling 160 acre estate with multiple layers of history.

The site has a rich heritage but its colourful characters and events were not being fully realised for the optimum visitor experience. Interpretation was dated and didn’t cater for diverse audiences.

Following a thorough site audit and research review, which fed into our Interpretation Plan, we identified key characters from the estate’s history
to guide visitors through the Belvedere experience.

These included the dastardly Wicked Earl who put his own wife under house arrest for an alleged affair with his brother and the daring explorer who climbed Mount Everest and brought back a rescued bear cub to Ireland.

Detailed illustrations were created to breathe life and personality into the characters, based on historical sources.

An audio tour guides visitors around the grounds in the company of ‘Belle’, a character who embodies the spirit of the place over the centuries. Inside the house, visitors hear directly from the most significant owners spanning three centuries.

These are embodied in life-size illustrated figures. Servants, who worked tirelessly to satisfy the wishes of the Wicked Earl, are also represented.

To the surprise and delight of visitors, silhouette portraits come to life to share their insights and gossip about their owners.

An exhibition within Belvedere House puts the lives of the owners and the history of the estate in context. Elsewhere in the grounds, interpretive lecterns share information about key features, such as Ireland’s largest folly, the ‘Jealous Wall’. To find out why it’s called that you’ll have to visit Belvedere.

Detailed illustrations were created to breathe life and personality into the characters, based on historical sources.