Castle Ward

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This article is about the castle in Northern Ireland. For the Castle electoral ward in Swansea, see Castle, Swansea. For Ward's Castle in Rye Brook, New York, see William E. Ward House.

Coordinates: 54°22′23″N 5°34′44″W / 54.373°N 5.579°W / 54.373; -5.579

Castle Ward Classical Facade, June 2011
Castle Ward Gothic Facade, June 2011

Castle Ward is an 18th century[1] National Trust property located near the village of Strangford, in County Down, Northern Ireland. It overlooks Strangford Lough and is 7 miles from Downpatrick and 1.5 miles from Strangford.

Castle Ward is open to the public and includes landscaped gardens, a fortified tower house, Victorian laundry, theatre, restaurant, shop, saw mill and a working corn mill. From 1985 to 2010 it has also hosted Castleward Opera, an annual summer opera festival.

Contents

[edit] Features

The most interesting aspect of Castle Ward, built in the 1760s, is that of its dual architecture, reflecting the differing tastes of Lord Bangor and his wife. While the entrance side of the building is done in a classical Palladian style with columns supporting a triangular pediment, the opposite side is Georgian Gothick with pointed windows, battlements and finials.[2] This differences in style continue throughout the interior of the house with the divide down the centre.[3]

[edit] History

The architect of Castle Ward is unknown, although he may have come from the Bristol area, with which the Ward family had close ties. It may have been James Bridges who practiced in Bristol between 1757 and 1763 and whose work there has some similarity to Castle Ward.[3]

[edit] The Troubles

  • 10 February 1973 - Leonard O'Hanlon (23) and Vivienne Fitzsimmons (17), both members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, were killed in a premature bomb explosion in the grounds of Castle Ward estate.

[edit] Gallery

  • Walled Garden, June 2011

  • Castle, June 2011

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-castleward
  2. ^ Dixon, Hugh (1975). An Introduction to Ulster Architecture. Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society. p. 108. 
  3. ^ a b O'Neill, B (ed). (2002). Irish Castles and Historic Houses. London: Caxton Editions. p. 22. 
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[edit] External links

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