Belvedere House
Mullingar, Co. Westmeath | Tel: +353(0) 44 934 9060 | Web: www.belvedere-house.ie
Belvedere estate today is a very important example of cultural built heritage that has been transformed into a tourism asset of national importance for the region. Currently attracting over 126,000 visitors a year the estate is a multi faceted tourism/leisure site with a diverse range of uses throughout the year.
Belvedere hosts large scale outdoor events such as multistage weekend music festivals to smaller intimate garden theatre performances. A day visitor to Belvedere gets to explore the restored Belvedere House, Victorian Walled Garden and rolling parkland with it's numerous follies. Belvedere can be a place of quiet contemplation and also a bustling, vibrant, colourful place with the many events held here, it is a place resonant of the past but relevant to the future.
The historic role of the Big House in Ireland was one of dominance and exclusion. The Houses were hidden away behind high walls designed to keep people out and were surrounded by idyllic landscaped grounds for the enjoyment of the few. Nowadays a big house such as Belvedere (stature not size) in public ownership aims for inclusion not exclusion. As well as normal tourism business Belvedere works closely with providing access to large numbers of community based projects, sports clubs, art groups and local initiatives.
For a day visit to Belvedere to fit everything, in a visit time of 3 hours is advised.