The Head Gardener's House

The house at the South Eastern corner of the second garden was traditionally the head gardener's home. A feature of the house was the two rooms in the lower part of the house dedicated to the storage of fruit and potatoes from the gardens. These rooms would have been unheated and cooler than the rest of the house.

Until the 20th century, farmers stored apples in frost proof cellars during the winter - this was later scientifically recognized as a "controlled atmosphere" and in the 21st century implemented for long term storage of apples.

Controlled atmosphere facilities use high humidity and low oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to maintain fruit freshness. These rooms are no longer in use for storage of produce. The house does, however, still serve as home to members of the staff at Dromoland Castle.