Famous Parks: Phoenix Park

As our regular readers know once a week we feature either a famous landscape architect or a famous park.  This week since the Phoenix Metro area is famous we thought we would feature Phoenix Park.  But it is in Dublin Ireland and not the Valley of the Sun.

Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland – A 1,750 acres urban park in Dublin. Phoenix Park is one of the largest city parks in Europe. The park includes Dublin’s Zoo, big green lawn, woodland, many historical and religious monuments and an old fort. Several hundreds of Deer live within the park’s boundaries as well

 After the Normans conquered Dublin and its hinterland in the 12th century, Hugh Tyrrel, 1st Baron of Castleknock, granted a large area of land, including what now comprises the Phoenix Park, to the Knights Hospitaller. They established an abbey at Kilmainham on the site now occupied by Royal Hospital Kilmainham. The knights lost their lands in 1537 following the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII of England. Eighty years later the lands reverted to the ownership of the King's representatives in Ireland. On the restoration of Charles II of England, his Viceroy in Dublin, the Duke of Ormonde, established a Royal Hunting Park on the land in 1662. It contained pheasants and wild deer, making it necessary to enclose the entire area with a wall. The Park originally included the demesne of Kilmainham Priory south of the River Liffey, but when the building of the Royal Hospital at Kilmainham commenced in 1680, the Park was reduced to its present size, all of which is now north of the river. It was opened to the people of Dublin by the Earl of Chesterfield in 1745.

Deer grazing near the Papal Cross in the Phoenix Park

The Park is split between three civil parishes: Castleknock to the north-west, Chapelizod to the south and St James' to the north. The last named is mainly centred south of the River Liffey around St James' parish church. The Park has its own piece of legislation the Phoenix Park Act, 1925 which includes giving powers to Park rangers to remove and arrest of offenders who disobey its bye-laws, which include "No person shall act contrary to public morality in the Park".

The residence of the President of Ireland, Áras an Uachtaráin, built in 1754, is located in the park. As the Viceregal Lodge, it was the official residence of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland until the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922.

Dublin Zoo is one of Dublin's main attractions. It houses more than 700 animals and tropical birds from around the world and was founded in 1830[13] and opened to the public on 1 September 1831, with animals from the London Society, making it the third oldest zoo in the world. Within a year the zoo housed 123 species.

It doesn’t matter to us whether you want commercial desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help.  We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.

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Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC

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