Knockabbey contains some of the most important historical water features in the country, originally started as early as the 11th century by monks from the local abbey.

These water gardens became the focus of the restoration during the summer of 2000. They had turned into an overgrown wilderness, their neglect perhaps being attributable to their distance from the house.

The canals and ponds had become completely clogged with decades of fallen leaves and the original pathways had been buried and obscured by self-sown trees. This had to be cleared step-by-step with lots of tree surgery, relaying of paths and reclamation, restoration or rebuilding of bridges.

Finally, a new lake, the "Millennium Lake", was put in to bring the water gardens into view of the house.

The newly-dug millennium lake in summer 2000