Ballickmoyler: Architecture and Equestrian Activities

You can identify the historic houses by their architectural style, approximate date of construction, and condition; Turra Lodge Farm offers a different focus, with horse-riding and trekking activities. This makes it possible to tailor your travel plans to your own interests.

Architecture in Ballickmoyler

Ashfield Hall is a detached, two-storey house with five bays and an attic storey. Its Palladian architecture dates from around 1750; today, the house is in a state of disrepair. Providence Lodge offers a different period and architectural style: the detached, two-storey house with five bays dates from around 1830. Behind it stands a detached, two-storey stable building. The comparison shows different architectural styles and construction periods; at the same time, Ashfield Hall’s dilapidated condition is an important part of its present state.

Ashfield Hall and Providence Lodge, as well as Ashfield Hall Gate Lodge, are recognised as protected structures in the regional category. If you are interested in architectural history, Ashfield Hall and Providence Lodge offer different points of interest: Palladian architecture and its present condition define Ashfield Hall, while Providence Lodge is characterised by the form of the house and its stable building.

Horse-riding Activities and the Site’s History

Turra Lodge Farm in Turra, Ballickmoyler, County Laois, offers horse riding and trekking. The farm was developed on the site of a former open-cast coal mine, which has been closed for more than 30 years. The site’s former use is therefore also part of this place’s history.

A travel report from January 2026 mentions pony trekking and riding lessons for children and adults at Turra Lodge Farm, and describes routes through a quiet rural setting. Before making plans, contact the provider directly to ask which activities and routes are currently available.

Cultural Perspectives in County Laois

County Laois offers other historical points of interest, including the Timahoe Round Tower. It dates from the late 12th century and has an elaborately carved doorway. The Timahoe Heritage Centre is housed in a preserved 19th-century church and presents the history of the early Christian monastic settlement of Tigh Mochua. The tower is also part of the Ireland’s Ancient East visitor route. These examples have different focuses: medieval architectural history at the tower and the history of an early Christian monastic settlement at the centre.

The County Laois also has a manor house, gardens, and a history of fortifications. Emo Court is a neoclassical manor house designed by James Gandon in 1790; visitors can walk by the lake and through the woodland. Heywood Gardens near Ballinakill is an 18th-century landscape estate with gardens, lakes, and woodland. Sir Edwin Lutyens designed the formal gardens. One of Ireland’s most significant Anglo-Norman fortifications developed at Dunamase. The experiences range from walks at a manor house to landscape and garden design, and the history of a fortification.

For a look at technological history, the Stradbally Steam Museum displays steam-powered machinery associated with Ireland’s railways, roadworks, and agriculture. A historical narrow-gauge railway, about one kilometre long, also operates on the grounds of Stradbally Hall. Check its current operating dates before travelling. The Donaghmore Workhouse & Agricultural Museum preserves an original 19th-century workhouse and an agricultural collection. The Mountmellick Embroidery and Heritage Museum offers guided tours about Mountmellick Work and the town’s Quaker heritage. Mountmellick Work is a type of whitework embroidery developed by Johanna Carter in the early 19th century.

Discover more destinations: Stradbally, Curragh, Portlaoise, Whitewell, Arles, Abbeyleix, Emo, Durrow.

For the overview of the wider area: County Laois.