Yesterday myself and the H’s headed to Wells House and Gardens for their second annual Victorian Tea Party. This is just one of the many events that Wells House put on throughout the year.
http://www.wellshouse.ie/events/
I have heard lots of great things about Wells House and wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about so yesterday was a wonderful excuse to check it all out.
Just some of the things on offer at the party that we loved were :-
A Live puppet show, Falconry display, Best vintage dress contest, BBQ, Live music from the brilliant hayride hipsters, Face Painting, Balloon art & clown, The Irish Great War society with live re-enactments of battles and a cheeky stilted butler!
And entry to all of this was only €6 per car. There was no extra sneaky charges once you got through the gate, other than buying food and drink or doing a tour of the amazing Victorian house.
For us, we chose to bring our own picnic and the there is really lovely tree stump picnic tables to eat your food on, overlooking the childrens playground.
We couldn’t resist the wonderful Featherbed Farm ice-cream though, so a treat was had for all four of us for €10. My lemon mascapone sorbet and strawberry icecream combo were simply delicious.
Now, yesterday was without doubt a great day out with many free extra’s on offer, but taking the Victorian Party out of the equation, it is always €6.00 for entry to Wells House for any family car and there is so much to do once you get there, that it is in my opinion one of better value family day outs on offer in the South East.
Wells House has something for all generations to enjoy and share and as they say themselves,
every day is a fun day at Wells House and Gardens
You can enjoy The Lady Frances Woodland Walk where you will discover hidden treasures in a verdant landscape of mature plants and trees.
There is a fairy trail where you can hunt for fairy houses in the trees and your children will be captivated by the magical hunt for the Gruffalo.
Amelia and I find one of the Fairy Houses.
These walks were without doubt the highlight of our visit, as our children’s imaginations were fuelled by the well placed wooden telescopes and hidden animals along the trail.
And finally we found the much loved Gruffalo, Amelia hugging him with delight.
And if you don’t fancy a long walk, you can relax in the Victorian Terrace Gardens, which are beautifully restored formal gardens based on the original Daniel Robertson plans of the 1830’s.
The Adventure Playground I previously mentioned has Zip lines, swings, slides and climbing frames, so something for all ages.
I highly recommend doing the Living Victorian House Tour. I was lucky enough to do this a few weeks ago when I was at the press launch for The Tempest. You get to experience real life in a Victorian Great house through the eyes of Lady Frances and the residents of Wells House. What I liked about this particular tour, was the fact that there wasn’t rope and barriers placed to stop you touching anything. You really get to feel like you are having a proper snoop in someones house! They also serve Afternoon Tea in the dining room, complete with silver service. That is now on my ‘Must Do’ lists! I quite fancy the idea of playing Lady Mary from Downton for the afternoon.
A reminder about The Tempest here if you missed my post on the show:-
http://carmelharrington.com/2013/06/24/the-tempest-shakespeares-masterpiece-on-tour-in-co-wexford/
Also available is Wells House Archery where the resident Archer will show you how to shoot a bow at the only 3D course in Ireland. We didn’t partake of this activity ourselves, as our children are a little young yet to enjoy that.
Mrs Stones Tea Rooms is of course open all day if you don’t fancy bringing a picnic as we did and on offer is morning coffees, light lunches and afternoons teas.
There is also a craft courtyard, which is a really pleasant way to spend an hour browsing the gorgeous handmade and unique items on sale. A favourite of our children was The Timeless Toy Shop and an early request for Santa has already been made by Amelia for a beautiful wooden shop.
http://www.wellshouse.ie/explore/craft-courtyard
And we ran out of time before we had the chance to go visit the Animal farm where you can find Donkey Shetland Ponies, Suffolk Sheep Pygmy Goats, Chickens, Ducks, Peacocks and Vietnamese Pot Belly Pigs! Next time!
So for €6 it really is a great place to while away a few hours. If you find yourself on holiday in the aptly name for once Sunny South East, then definitly put it on your list of places to visit.
Chat soon,
Carmel x
