Grand Houses and Gardens of Northern Ireland

Today, following our full Irish breakfast, we depart on a busy but rewarding day as we first visit Ballywalter Park, an Italianate palazzo mansion constructed by Charles Lanyon for Andrew Mulholland, great, great, great grandfather of the present owner. Through a careful process of restoration, dedication and enthusiasm Ballywalter Park is probably in as good a condition now as when it was originally built all those years ago and offers an opportunity to see how Victorian grandeur is matched with a contemporary twist. We are privileged to be joined here by Lord and Lady Dunleath, who will give us a personal guided tour of the house.

We continue to Mount Stewart, the dazzling and idiosyncratic gardens which bask in the micro-climate of low rainfall and humid coastal air that exists here. The Italian Garden south of the house is in the form of a giant parterre, edged in startling golden thuja or smouldering purple berberis and filled with plantings of carmine, yellow and scarlet on one side, with cooler blue, lavender and grey on the other. Elsewhere, there is a Spanish garden with huge eucalyptuses looming in the woods behind, and an exuberant and formal sunken garden surrounded by a fine pergola planted with clematis, honeysuckle and roses. The entrance façade of the house overlooks an entirely different landscape, a scene of serenity with noble trees leading gently uphill to a lake. East of the lake are blood-red and orange rhododendrons and the banks of the lake are planted with long drifts of arum lily. This is one of the most attractive and stimulating gardens, where traditional features are carried off with exuberance and panache, and we have allowed plenty of time here to take everything in.

We conclude today at Grey Abbey House, which is considered to be one of the finest Georgian country houses in Ireland and has remained in the possession of the Montgomery family since 1607. The central portion of the house was built in 1762 by William Montgomery, whose portrait hangs in the dining room, depicting a solemn-looking man holding what is believed to be the architect’s invoice! The house retains many interesting architectural features and fine 18th century plasterwork. In the grounds there are mature woods, borders and a southern hemisphere collection along with parkland meadows and fields. The Walled Garden has been restored over the years, with a vegetable garden, late summer border and shrub rose border. The curved wall has been restocked with fan-trained fruit trees. The two orchards contain a collection of Victorian fruit trees, and a recently-planted collection of Irish apple trees.

After breakfast this morning we move to the southern tip of Strangford Lough, where Castle Ward sits in a wooded valley with a memorable view towards the lough. Due to the differing tastes of its owners, Lord Bangor and his wife Lady Ann Bligh, the 18^th Century mansion is built in two contrasting architectural styles, the Classical façade to the lawn and the Gothic facing Strangford Lough, making this one of the strangest architectural compromises created between two people. Apart from some traces of 18^th century woodland, the garden is chiefly Victorian in character. Close to the house is a walled terraced garden filled with exotic planting, Acca sellowiana, Beschorneria yuccoides and large old plants of cabbage palm. Behind a screen of Irish yews a rock garden with dwarf conifers runs along one side of a mid 19^th century pinetum with immense Wellingtonias. Perhaps the best thing about Castle Ward, though, are the grand walks in the huge demesne, with delicious views of trees and the lough beyond.

In the afternoon we travel to Montalto Estate, a privately-owned demesne nestled in the heart of the picturesque Co. Down countryside which dates back to the early 1600s and has only recently opened its gates to the public. In pre-plantation times the estate was originally owned by Patrick McCartan. However, due to his involvement in the 1641 Rebellion, his Ballynahinch lands were confiscated, and in 1657 the townland was purchased by Sir George Rawdon. Circa 1765, his descendant Sir John Rawdon – First Earl of Moira – built a mansion property on the estate: this is the house that we now know as Montalto House. Sir John’s ancestor, Sir Arthur Rawdon – The Father of Irish Gardening – had earlier amassed a large collection of exotic foreign plants at Moira Castle. Many of Sir Arthur’s plants were transferred to Montalto when his grandson Sir John moved onto the estate.

We return to our hotel where dinner is served in the evening.

This morning after breakfast we will travel to Ballyedmond Castle and Gardens. The house we see today dates from 1849 and replaces two earlier buildings. The architect is reputed to be Sir Charles Lanyon and although there is no documentary evidence of this it does have a number of features similar to those of the Lanyon building at Queen’s University, Belfast, with which it is contemporary. It has a chequered history, having been raided and damaged by the IRA in the 1920s, occupied by the USAF in WWII and converted to a hotel in the 1960s, only to be fire-bombed in a terrorist attack in 1979. It remained as a shell until Dr Edward Haughey, later Baron Ballyedmond, purchased it in the 1980s. The gardens, while maintaining the 19^th century framework, have undergone extensive landscaping and restoration, along with ornamental planting. We will enjoy lunch here, served in the delightful orangery.

In the afternoon we travel to Hillsborough Castle, Her Majesty The Queen’s official residence in Northern Ireland. It is not strictly speaking a castle but a Georgian country house, built in the 18th century for the Hill family, Marquesses of Downshire, who owned it until 1922. The 6th Marquess sold the mansion to the British government and it became the official residence of the Governor of the newly created province of Northern Ireland and later the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Since 2014 it has been managed by Historic Royal Palaces who commissioned a £16m restoration programme which has breathed new life into this historic building. We will be among the first to see the extensively redecorated interior spaces, including the elegant State Rooms, still used by the Royal Family for investitures and receptions and we spend time here discovering tales of celebration and diplomacy. We will also see the Walled Garden, which is enjoying a major makeover.

We return to the hotel where the evening is at leisure.

After breakfast we depart for our final visit, which is to the gardens of Clandeboye Estate. These include the delightful Bee Garden, the Chapel Walk and the intimate Conservatory Garden. In the Bee Garden we will find a selection of Old Irish Variety apple trees surrounding an area of wild-flower meadow on which stands a Georgian style bee house. The walls of the Conservatory Garden help create a warmer environment and so you will find more exotic plants and trees both inside the conservatory and in the adjoining garden. Further afield are the woodland gardens which display a large collection of Rhododendrons and other exotic species suited to the unique mild climate of this part of County Down. 

Following this we transfer to Belfast Airport in time to check in for our return flight to London.