On Sunday, 12th July, 2009 there will be an Irish Georgian Society Cork Chapter trip to Bandon. Registration will take place at 2pm at St Peter's Church of Ireland.
A church was built on the site of St Peters Church in 1614 with the help of Richard Boyle, Earl of Cork. Joseph Welland was the architect responsible for the present church consecrated in 1847. The Bernard family are closely linked to this church with several of the memorials dedicated to them. The clock in the tower was installed in memory of Lt Colonel the Honourable William Smyth Bernard of the Farm who was MP for the Borough of Bandon Bridge.
The tour will include Castle Bernard where we will be shown the ruins by Lady Frances. She will give us a brief talk about the history of the house and her family. The castle was acquired by the family in the early 17th Century. It was altered and enlarged in gothic style in the 19th century and was burnt in 1921. A substantial amount of the ruins still remain.
We will end up at The Farm, a gothic villa built by Captain Bernard in the early 1800s. The buildings in the yard date from the 1700s and the gothic extension was designed by Joseph Welland in the early 1800s.
