Landscape and management to 1880.

This book covers the history of the Phoenix Park from earliest times to 1880 which includes the formation of the Park as a royal deerpark  in the 1660s and its infrastructural development to 1880 which includes the building of the boundary wall, gate lodges, roads, entrance gates. The Park's Public and Private landscapes are also explored and in particular their landscape design and development under the management of Woods & Forests and the renowned architect Decimus Burton from 1830 to 1850. Chapters on Finance, Management and the landscape  impact and evolution of Institutional demesnes within the Park. The book is lavishly illustrations with appendices and an extensive bibliography.

Author bio:

John A. McCullen graduated from University College Dublin (UCD) with a first-class honours degree in horticulture in 1970 followed by an M.Sc. in Landscape Ecology, Design and Maintenance from Wye College, London University. In 2007 he was awarded a PhD by the University of Dublin (History of Art Dept., Trinity College) for his thesis on the Landscape History and Management of the Phoenix Park from 1800 – 1880. He retired as chief park superintendent (Office of Public Works, OPW) in 2012 and had been responsible for the management and conservation of the Phoenix Park for almost 25 years. John had also been involved in the conservation and restoration of many of the OPW’s Historic Parks and Gardens during this period. These included the Irish National War Memorial Gardens at Islandbridge; the Royal Hospital at Kilmainham; the Military Cemetery at Grangegorman; Arbour Hill; St. Stephen’s Green Park; Iveagh Gardens; the Swiss Cottage, Cahir; Roscrea Castle; the Battle of the Boyne site at Oldbridge, Drogheda; Altamont Gardens, Tullow, Co. Carlow; Emo Court, Portarlington; Heywood Garden, Ballinakill, Co. Loais; Castletown Demesne, Co. Kildare and Kilkenny Castle Demesne. He is the author of An illustrated history of the Phoenix Park (Landscape and Management to 1880) published in 2009 and co-authored A Manual of Urban Trees (1982) with Richard Webb. He also contributed to Wild Plants of the Phoenix Park by P.A. Reilly, P.A., with contributions from Kelly, Synnott and McCullen, 1993.