The Office of Public Works is delighted to present Paradise Lost: Lord Charlemont’s Garden at Marino in the Casino Marino.

The beautiful miniature architectural masterpiece known as the Casino is all that remains of Lord Charlemont’s vast eighteenth-century garden at Marino. Appearing to be a one-room temple from the outside, there are actually sixteen rooms over three levels on the inside, making this Georgian gem Dublin’s own Tardis. Until 31st October 2014, Paradise Lost: Lord Charlemont's Garden at Marino - an innovative multimedia exhibition - will bring the landscape back to life inside the walls of the last standing garden building. This is the very first time that these images will be shown in Marino since the 1800s.

Speaking at the opening today the OPW Chairman, Clare McGrath, said, "I'm very pleased to be here today in one of OPW's premier sites to open this exhibition, which captures the spirit of the vanished gardens at the Casino wonderfully. I'm particularly proud that the exhibition can be enjoyed on many levels, using your phone to access the trail map app, browsing the website and of course visiting the excellent exhibition here at the Casino."

Exhibits include sketches from the nineteenth-century Caulfeild family scrapbook, the earliest examples of Irish botanical books, an intimate portrait of the gardener painted by his son, collected historical maps, the original pencil-drawn Venus by Cipriani - her first time to be shown publicly, and many more such evocative reminders of a disappeared paradise. Visit the exhibition to hear voices from the eighteenth century describe the demesne in surround sound. Come to the Casino with the specially-commissioned trail map app, which works with your phone’s GPS to guide you around the hidden remaining historical fragments through the whole suburb of Marino. Explore the exhibition in full from your comfortable armchair at home, through a comprehensive website, bursting with resources.

The exhibition is supported by a conference - the annual Irish Georgian Society Study Day - on 10th June, and by art workshops held in Dublin City Gallery the Hugh Lane (Charlemont House). Education worksheets are available on the website, and schools are invited for special tours of the exhibits. A fully illustrated catalogue also accompanies the exhibition. Paradise Lost: Lord Charlemont's Garden at Marino is curated by Dr. Rose Anne White and Mary Heffernan and will run until 31st October 2014.

-Ends-

Note to Editors:

The Casino Marino is located in Marino, Dublin 3, just off the Malahide Road, and is managed and conserved by the Office of Public Works. Entry to the exhibition is free.

Open for Guided tours from 15th March - 31st October 2014 inclusive

March and October : Daily 10am - 5pm; June to September : Daily 10am - 6pm.

Last admission 45 mins before closing.

For further information on the exhibition please contact curator@paradiselostexhibition.com or opwpressoffice@opw.ie