Tucked within the formal gardens and woodland of Curraghmore House & Gardens, Co Waterford, is a shell house worth investigating if you go for a day trip this summer. Created by Catherine, Countess of Tyrone with her “proper hands” in 1754 (it took her 261 days to complete) this folly includes intricate patterns of shells, collected from all over the world, as well as a statue of the fashionable Countess. 

Catherine was channelling a trend. In the mid-18th century, Rococo-style shell grottoes, with swirling patterns, were a must-have addition to any estate worth its salt. A grotto would often be the highlight of a tour of the grounds. Many neo-classical mansions also had shell rooms: popular styles included the “nymphaeum”, simulating a small classical temple, or the shell grotto, a shell-lined artificial cave or pavilion. Famous examples include those at Woburn Abbey and Hampton Court House in the UK. In Ireland, Mary Delany, the noted 18th-century artist, lived at Delville, an estate outside Dublin, where she loved decorating with shells, affixing them to every available surface. “I am making festoons with shell flowers chained up with silver bells,” she recounts in 1774. “No amusement gives me so much pleasure as my shells and fossils.” 

If follies fell out of fashion and were replaced by conservatories and elaborate rockeries in the 19th and 20th centuries, shellcraft continued. Read Ingrid Thomas’ fascinating book The Shell: A world of decoration and ornament (Thames & Hudson) on this subject. Look out for so-called “sailor’s valentines” when antiquing. These shell-encrusted boxes were originally made from 1830 –1890 as a souvenir and love token. Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in shell craft. Interior designer and young antiquarian Luke Edward Hall is a fan of gilt and silver Venetian “grotto antiques”. He particularly liked a shell-shaped chair he discovered among the antiques at Ballyvolane House, Co Cork when he stayed there. 

The Shell House at Ballymaloe Cookery School, Co Cork

For further inspiration, take a walk in Bushy Park, Rathfarnham, Co Dublin, and you may come across the ruins of a former shell house, decorated with cockles and shells gathered from the Dublin seashore, or if out for a drive in Co Wexford, look out for The Shell Cottage at Cullenstown. Its owner Kevin Ffrench has decorated this cottage over a 30-year period. He was given scallop shells from fishermen in Kilmore Quay and razorfish shells from Rosslare: the rest came from the beach at Cullenstown. On a wander around the gardens at Ballymaloe Cookery School, visitors will discover a contemporary shell house, commissioned by Darina Allen, whose passion for shells stems from childhood. “We lived in landlocked Cullahill, Co Laois. Summer trips to the seaside at Tramore, Co Waterford would always include beachcombing for shells.” (Do read Ireland’s Seashore: A Field Guide by Lucy Taylor and Emma Nickelsen, for invaluable information on beachcombing.) 

For her 25th wedding anniversary to husband Tim, Allen decided to commission a shell house by international shell artist Blott Kerr-Wilson, “I remember seeing a project she had worked on in Gardens Illustrated and contacted her. It was a covert mission: I was trying to keep the surprise a secret.” Wilson and Allen discussed plans for the decoration of the octagonal building, which has cast-iron gothic church windows sourced from an architectural salvage. Crates of scallop and oyster shells Allen had collected from the kitchens of Ballymaloe House, as well as Ahernes Seafood Restaurant in Youghal, were used in addition to Wilson’s haul of abalone, whelk and cockle shells, and more decorative coral and conch. Shell murals were designed on panels mounted onto breeze block tiles and sealed with a lime wash. (Shell artists no longer need to boil animal hooves and pigs’ blood to make adhesive as in the 18th century!). Pebbling on the floor was the finishing touch to the five-month-long project. “I like to call it a monument to Tim’s patience,” says Allen of the anniversary gift. Later a bespoke “shelldelier” was added for the wedding of their daughter. “What was really amazing about working on the Ballymaloe commission,” says Wilson, “was the community involvement. Children used to come and visit me while I worked and then go down to the beach and collect more shells.” 

It’s not the only project the UK-based artist has undertaken in Ireland. Gardening guru Helen Dillon asked Wilson to decorate the bathroom of her former home in Ranelagh, Dublin 6, requesting that Wilson make shells “flower” from the walls. Another private commission was for a Celtic shrine, another at Round House in Co Meath, the decoration of which was inspired by the four seasons, fauna and the client’s lucky number, seven. 

“I’m a nightmare for clients,” admits Wilson who works without drawings. She uses only shells that are abundant. One of her signatures is incorporating the lowly blue mussel. “It’s the only blue shell in the world, yet it is usually consigned to the compost heap.” 

Of course, she is also familiar with the famous Shell Cottage at Carton House, Co Kildare, found on the grounds of the (newly renovated) estate, and decorated by Emily Lennox in 1756. A former resident was Marianne Faithfull, (who has just released her new album She Walks in Beauty). Wilson recalls hearing Faithfull swearing loudly in the background on a visit and describes the shell grotto as, “dark and atmospheric – the designs incorporated not just shells but also wood, feathers and glass. It was majestic. I believe Marianne threw a party there once, which must have been magical.”