The Chinese Wallpaper of Mount Congreve: A ROOTS Conversation

What to expect

This is a ROOTS Conversation, a talks series Mount Congreve runs alongside its garden programme, and this instalment is given by David Skinner, a specialist in historic wallpaper. The subject is the 18th-century hand-painted Chinese wallpaper preserved at Mount Congreve itself, one of the estate’s lesser-known treasures. Skinner traces how this style of wallpaper travelled from China to Europe in the 1700s, why it became fashionable in Irish and British country houses, and what makes the Mount Congreve panels a rare surviving example of the type, still in reasonably good condition after more than two centuries. Guests arrive from 10.30am, the talk itself runs from 11am to 12pm, and there is a question and answer session afterwards until around 12.15pm, with a chance to meet Skinner directly once the formal part ends.

The talk is capped at 90 attendees and tickets must be booked in advance through the Mount Congreve booking system, since it is not a drop-in event. Tickets are €15 per person and this covers the talk only. Afterwards, ticket holders are free to spend the rest of the day exploring the 70-acre gardens, browsing the shop or having lunch at the Stables Cafe, though garden admission itself is a separate charge unless already included in the ticket type booked. The talk takes place indoors, so it is not weather-dependent, and it suits anyone with an interest in the history of decorative arts, country houses or the Congreve family’s collection rather than being aimed at children.

Getting there

Mount Congreve is at Kilmeaden, about ten minutes’ drive west of Waterford city on the N25 towards Cork. From the city, follow the N25 and take the signed turn for Mount Congreve near Kilmeaden village. From Dungarvan, take the N25 east instead. There is free parking on site. The Waterford Greenway passes close to Kilmeaden, so cyclists using the greenway can detour in, and the Waterford and Suir Valley Railway has a stop at Kilmeaden station nearby. There is no direct bus service to the gardens, so a car is the most practical way to get there for this talk.