The house from a circa 1900 postcard
Built / Designed For: John Cole, 1st Baron Mountflorence, who named the house after his mother, Florence Bourchier Wrey.
House & Family History: Florence Court boasts exquisite circa 1755 Rococo plasterwork in the style of Robert West. In 1953 the 5th Earl of Enniskillen gave the house and grounds to the National Trust.
Collections: At her death in 1998, the Dowager Countess of Enniskillen bequeathed much of the former contents of Florence Court (which had moved, with the Cole family, to Perthshire in 1973) to the National Trust. The Trust displays the collection, which is particularly rich in Irish furniture, throughout the house.
Comments: Florence Court is considered one of the most important houses in Ulster.
Garden & Outbuildings: There are extensive walks in the grounds, also a sawmill, a holiday cottage, and the walled garden. The Florence Court Yew, or Irish Yew, was developed here.
Architect: Davis (Daviso) Ducart (Duckhart) (de Arcort)
Date: Circa 1770Architect: Richard Castle (Cassels)
Date: Circa 1745Country Life: CLXIX, 1242, 1318, 1981.
Title: Guide to Irish Country Houses, A
Author: Bence-Jones, Mark
Year Published: 1988
Reference: pgs. 125-126
Publisher: London: Constable and Company
ISBN: 0094699909
Book Type: Hardback
House Listed: Grade A
Park Listed: Unknown
Past Seat / Home of: John Cole, 1st Baron Mountflorence, 18th century; William Willoughby Cole, 1st Earl of Enniskillen, 18th century; William Willoughby Cole, 3rd Earl of Enniskillen, 19th century; John Henry Michael Cole, 5th Earl of Enniskillen, 20th century.
Current Ownership Type: The National Trust
Primary Current Ownership Use: Visitor Attraction
House Open to Public: Yes
Phone: 02866-348-249
Fax: 02866-348-873
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Historic Houses Member: No