Newbridge House and Farm

Newbridge House Demesne opened as a regional park in 1986, with approximately 370 acres of gently undulating pastureland, woodland walks, a deer park, lime kiln, the ruins of Lanistown Castle, watercourses and pleasure grounds.

The focal point of the Demesne is Newbridge House which was built by the Cobbe family in the mid 1700s and is open to the public.  The cobbled courtyard includes a restaurant and a range of interesting outbuildings.   Other visitor attractions include Newbridge Traditional Farm where you can see old breeds of farm animals, as well as displays of machinery which were part of Irish farming life in previous centuries. The Walled Garden has extensive orchards and a collection of old Irish apple varieties.  Two 19th Century glasshouses have recently been restored and sections of the walled garden have been replanted with herbaceous borders.  In 1717, Charles Cobbe (1686-1765) came to Ireland as private secretary and chaplain to his kinsman Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Cobbe began purchasing lands on the Donabate peninsula in 1736 and commissioned the celebrated architect James Gibbs in 1744 to design a plan for the rebuilding of Newbridge House. Work began in 1747 and Newbridge is Gibbs’s only executed work in Ireland.

After passing through the Cobbe family throughout the centuries, the family gave the house and sold the demesne to Dublin County Council (now Fingal County Council) in 1985, entering into a rare agreement under which the historic family-owned pictures, furniture, chattels and documents, are kept in situ whilst the Cobbe family remains in residence. As a result of this agreement, the interiors of Newbridge House are remarkably complete and amongst the best preserved in Ireland.

From the gently undulating wildflower meadows of the Park to the stately grandeur of the Georgian Mansion, Newbridge Demesne truly is an experience for all ages and in all seasons.  Families adore the 18th century working Farm and state of the art Adventure Playground, rounding off their visit with homemade treats in the Courtyard Tearooms.  Enter the Farm via its 18th-century cobbled courtyard and visit a vast array of animals ranging from the Shetland and Connemara ponies of the paddock to the piglets, goats and baby chicks of the farmyard.

The Park also includes a major Children's Playground and Sports Pitches.

The Park is situated within easy walking distance of Donabate Village. By car, it is signposted from the M1/N1 just north of Swords. By train, visitors should use theNorthbound trains from Connolly or Pearse Street stations stopping at Donabate train station. The 33 also stops close by.

Newbridge House and Farm  is under the management of Shannon Group’s tourism attraction and experience company Shannon Heritage, in partnership with Fingal County Council.

https://www.newbridgehouseandfarm.com/newbridge-house/

Opening Hours

The opening hours of the Newbridge Demesne are as follows:-