Fota House was formerly an 18th century hunting lodge and was the centerpiece of an estate which covered the whole Fota Island, some 780 acres. Early in the 19th century it was enlarged for John Smith Barry by Richard Morrison and his son William. As well as providing a permanent home for the Smith Barry family, John began a program of work to turn the island into an estate of parkland, woods and gardens. An arboretum was begun by John's son, James Hugh Smith Barry in the early 1840's.
Fota House is a wonderful place. It is as though, when visiting the mansion, one has just stepped into a Jane Austen book or the well known Tara of Margaret Mitchell's, "Gone with the Wind". The house is in the process of being beautifully restored by the Fota Trust Company, a charity dedicated to the preservation of the house and its gardens for present and future generations. As of today, the spectacular principal rooms on the ground floor and most of the kitchen wing have been restored. The restorations reflect not only the architectural style and craftsmanship of the Regency period but something of the quality of life on both sides of the doors which divided the family's rooms from the servants' quarters.
There is a very informative article in the March-April, 2002 issue of the magazine, "Ireland of the Welcomes". In an article entitled 'Revealing Fota's Glories' written by Mary Leland, Patty Butler remembers her life at Fota House where she first joined the servant staff in 1948, remaining there until the death of the last owner Dorothy Bell. Patty Butler witnessed the gradual winding down of the house, until by 1975, she was the only servant remaining. She was the housekeeper and companion to the widowed Mrs. Bell. Then Patty worked frequently with Mrs. Bell's adult children in England with their own families. The article provides a very inside view of the operation of the mansion.
We visited Fota House and the gardens while on the island a few years ago. The house was in the midst of the restoration and was closed to visitors, so we wandered the gardens and woods and meadows. We knew, upon seeing the mansion, that we had to return to see the inside when the house was again open to the public. The below photos show what we saw as we walked through the ground floor of Fota House.
