County Wicklow already had a long-standing reputation for beautiful scenery by the 1860s—travellers had been coming for more than a century to enjoy the wild mountain scenery with its deep, dramatic glens. Powerscourt waterfall was a very popular destination, and the Glen of the Downs, The Scalp and the Devil's Glen were much admired. Partly because of the scenery, combined with nearness to Dublin, there were a large number of imposing houses, with fine plantings of trees in their demesnes.

This high-quality reproduction of Heffernan's plan of County Wicklow and his delightful views of beauty spots captures the nineteenth-century spirit of the 'Garden of Ireland'.