ABSTRACT
The period of Louisa Waterford's widowhood lasted thirty-seven years. The renovations and restorations which Louisa undertook were not confined to the Castle and her own private grounds. The extensive philanthropic activity that developed over the course of Louisa Waterford's widowhood can, in some respects, be seen to have arisen from a desire to make Ford her home. After Louisa Waterford inherited Highcliffe, her letters contain accounts of social events she hosted there, including house parties and entertainments of various kinds. The sense of Louisa Waterford's spirituality and goodness emanates to this day, and continues to be recalled in verbal accounts of her that have been handed down at Ford and in Ireland. Philanthropy played a major role in bringing emotional cohesion to the years of Louisa Waterford's widowhood. Another vital source of pleasure and comfort was the 'companionship of art', as Augustus Hare termed it.
