The 2nd Earl travelled to England and was once again inspired by the sublime architecture of the country houses and towers he saw. He also brought home advice from L.N. Cottingham, an architect who would become one of the most important contributors to Adare Manor. Cottingham, like the 2nd Earl, was a member of the Oxford Society for Promoting the Study of Gothic Architecture. He was engaged to assist with the interior design of the new building, although he had never visited Adare. By 1840, Cottingham was an integral member of the design team. The work on the new manor house, now known as Adare Manor, continued. It would be more than 30 years before it was completed. New sections were constructed around the old family home one by one, until part of the original structure was encased in the new building. The 2nd Earl of Dunraven died, passing the Earldom onto his son, Edwin Richard Wyndham Quin. He married Augusta Charlotte Goold in 1836, her father was Master of Chancery in the Law Courts of Dublin. Following his succession to the family title, Edwin saw it as a duty to complete the rebuilding of the family home begun by his parents. There was still much work to be done to complete his father’s vision. As Lord Lieutenant from 1864 until his death in 1871, he acted as The Queen’s representative in County Limerick. The terraced lawns and large gardens located to the south of Adare Manor were created by Edwin. Work began on these in 1857 but
proceeded intermittently throughout 1858 as the designs for the gardens kept changing month to month. The 3rd Earl of Dunraven passed away. His son Windham Thomas Wyndham Quin became the 4th Earl of Dunraven. Windham served as a Lieutenant in the 1st Life Guards, a Cavalry regiment, later becoming a war correspondent for the London Newspaper: ‘The Daily Telegraph’. He married Florence March Kerr. They had three daughters: Florence, Rachel and Aileen. Windham presided over the Land Conference in 1902, which led to the Land Act a year later, a piece of legislature which enabled tenants to purchase land from their landlords under favourable conditions. He is shown here wearing the blue sash of the Order of St Patrick, painted in 1922, two years before his death. The galleon in the background recalls his interest in sailing. He was a challenger for the America’s Cup in 1893 and 1895. The most distinguished guest at Adare Manor in the nineteenth century was the Duke of York, who in 1910, became George V following the death of his father, King Edward VII. He and his wife, the Duchess of York, were entertained at Adare Manor in August 1897. CONTINUED
1897
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