More Lovely Surprises in Carlow - Duckett's Grove Craft Shop

Duckett's Grove

I have often cursed the dreadful state of road signage in Ireland and have two theories about it:

1. It's deliberately bad so you will be forced to stop and speak to a local to get directions, thus having real contact with the natives and getting the wonderfully colourful descriptions of how to get to where you want to go. 'Go for 5 miles down that road till you come to a tree on the left and turn there and go until you see a field with sheep in it and there you are'.

2. It's deliberately bad so you will get lost and discover something you'd never have found had you stayed on the road you were meant to.

I like the latter one better because it's how I came across Duckett's Grove by accident when I moved to Carlow last year and was looking for Brownshill Dolmen.  It was a fortuitous discovery as I have had many a great day there since. 

I will write more about Duckett's Grove and its fascinating history in another post.

This time I will tell you about the new craft shop and studios that have been set up there.

Waney Edge Bunbury Board

Twice a year, up till now, there has been a Craft Fair held at Duckett's Grove, in May and December. At the last fair, some carefully selected craftspeople also opened their studios for the first time. The new craft shop was also opened and features some really beautiful things, like the famous Bunbury Boards, gorgeous felted silk scarves and shawls by Nicola Brown, beautifully turned wooden bowls, delicate pottery in robin's egg blue and cream, divine hand knitted baby booties and much more.  It's a real treat to ogle it all and there are pieces there to fit any budget.

Nicola Brown stole

Yesterday, I bought two Bunbury Boards as gifts.  What I love about the Bunbury Boards is that you get an individual identification number so you can go on their website and see the history of the wood your board is made from and you can learn more about how they take care of their trees and husband them carefully.  They come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, ranging from €25.95 and upwards.

My friend who was with me bought two of Nicola Brown's gorgeous hand felted silk scarves, one in dark cerise for herself and one in lime green, as a birthday gift. At €40 each they are great value for something you can wear and enjoy for many years to come.

We went to see Nicola afterwards in her studio where she not only sells some of her products but also teaches felting classes.  I am so intrigued by the gorgeous things she makes that I have signed up for one of her classes this coming Saturday.  Watch out for a blog post about that too.

Walled Garden at Duckett's Grove

As well as the studios and the shop, there is also a lovely cafe, The Tea Rooms at Duckett's Grove,  serving sandwiches, cakes, biscuits and lovely coffees and teas. It has an outdoor seating area for when the weather permits.  After a nice bit of lunch you can wander through the walled garden, which is filled with gorgeous plants of all types. There is a further walled garden which was used as the kitchen garden for the house in former times.

Once you've seen the crafts area and enjoyed all there is offer there, it is well worth going for a wander around the grounds of the house.

Next time I'll tell you about the strange history of this house and the family that lived there.