Walled Garden, The Castle, Castlewellan, Co Down

Walled Garden Complex, Castlewellan Castle, County Down

This is an 18th- to 19th-century walled garden complex that retains most of its original features in largely unspoiled condition. It contains rare survivals of mid-19th-century conservatories, unusual 19th-century fountains, and a number of other garden features in stone that can be identified as the work of the leading Scottish architect William Burn. Beyond its historic and architectural value as an integral part of an important country house demesne, it is of added special interest as the permanent structural centrepiece of an internationally renowned arboretum.

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT

The complex was built in stages from around 1740 to the 1860s. The western portion, known as the upper garden, appears to have been laid out first to cultivate kitchen produce. It was then extended eastwards with a larger portion, known as the lower garden, which appears originally to have been an orchard. In the 1860s the whole was laid out as a pleasure ground, with a terrace, steps, conservatories in the north-east corner of the lower garden, central fountains, and ornamental trees planted throughout both sections.

The various stages of development were associated with successive residences of the Annesley family. The upper garden walls, together with two outbuildings — the slaughter house and the hanging house — attached to the outside of the north-west wall, were associated first with the long-demolished Castlewellan House (of uncertain date and site) built by William Annesley, 1st Viscount Glerawly, and then with its successor, Castlewellan Cottage, built in the late 18th century on the north shore of the lake by the 1st Earl Annesley. The present configuration of the lower garden walls, the bothy yard, terrace, steps, balustrading, conservatories, and the fountains on the longitudinal axis between the two gardens, was associated with the present Castlewellan Castle, built in 1856–8 for William Richard Annesley, 4th Earl Annesley. Hugh Annesley, 5th Earl Annesley subsequently built up the arboretum and the wider demesne gardens with exotic tree collections to a standard unsurpassed in Ireland at the time of his death in 1908. The Forest Service, which purchased the demesne from the Annesley family in 1967, has continued this work, and the gardens are now recognised as among the most botanically interesting in the British Isles. The walled portions are now known as the Annesley Garden and form the heart of what is designated the National Arboretum.

LAYOUT

The complex comprises two large rectangular walled enclosures placed side by side — the upper garden and the lower garden — linked by a formal axial path running through their centres. The main axis runs approximately south-east to north-west. At the northern junction of the two gardens, set diagonally, is a terrace containing three conservatories, behind which is a smaller walled enclosure known as the bothy yard. The main pedestrian entrance is roughly centrally placed in the south-west boundary wall, giving direct access into the south-west corner of the lower garden.

UPPER GARDEN — WALLS AND OUTBUILDINGS

The outer face of the south-west wall of the upper garden is of basalt and granite rubble stonework with a cement-rendered coping that rakes upwards to the left, ramped in part. Near the left-hand end is a segmental-arched pedestrian gateway with shaped granite dressings and a projecting keystone, fitted with a plain iron gate with arrow-head finials and a granite doorstep. At the left-hand extremity stands a single-storey building flush with the south-west wall but projecting forward from the north-west wall. Its walls are of basalt rubble with some granite, with a projecting brick eaves course and galletting of basalt chips and what appears to be slate. The hipped pyramidal roof is covered with Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with blue ridge tiles. The south-west wall has a semi-circular brick-arched doorway now blocked with rough cement render. On the north-west face, walling and roofing are similar but fieldstones are also present, the roof is partly collapsed, and there is a window opening with a timber head and rough brick dressings now blocked with concrete blockwork and cement render; to its left is the trace of a previous opening, undressed, later closed with rubble stonework. The north-east face has one doorway with brick jambs and a timber head, now closed with cement-rendered concrete blockwork, and one window opening of a similar type.

The outer face of the north-west wall of the upper garden is of rubble stonework with a sloping cement-rendered coping. A centrally positioned pedestrian gateway has a granite flat-arched head with a coved shape to the end voussoirs, a projecting keystone, rusticated jambs, and a plain wrought iron gate with arrow-head finials. At the left-hand extremity stands a two-storey house now overgrown with creeper. On its south-west side the wall is of rubble stonework, with two rectangular ground-floor window openings with brick dressings now blocked with brickwork, and one first-floor window of rectangular timber sliding sash, 3 over 6, with horns. The roof is covered with creeper. The north-west side is of rubble stonework with galletting; traces of previous openings blocked with rubble are visible, along with a later projecting chimney breast in red brick. The left-hand extremity of the house wall has four prominent rubble stone quoins projecting forward. The north-east side is of similar walling, with two rectangular openings: the ground-floor one is blocked with flush brickwork; the first-floor opening is boarded up on the inside. There is also a ground-floor doorway with a rectangular sheeted timber door in a timber frame with a timber lintel and red brick jambs.

The outer face of the north-east wall of the upper garden is of rubble stone with a canted cement-rendered coping. Near the right-hand end is a wide vehicular gateway, segmental brick-arched with a rubble stone parapet and brickwork jambs; it contains a pair of wrought iron gates with spear-headed finials and scrolling work, and has granite blocks to the threshold. Much of the north wall has been re-pointed with modern smeared cement render. Some distance to the left of the vehicular gateway, the garden wall abuts the boundary wall of the bothy yard, which projects forward at an angle before returning eastwards.

On the inner face of the south-west wall of the upper garden, the walling is plain old hand-made red brick with a plain cement-rendered coping. Near the west end is a segmental-arched gateway in old brick. At the western extremity the wall abuts the side of the former venison slaughter house: plain old red brick with two projecting brick eaves courses, broken in the centre where a short chimney stack extends above the eaves line; one original but broken tall octagonal stoneware pot survives, and there is the trace of a previous rectangular opening in the upper part of the wall, now bricked up.

The inner face of the north-west wall is plain old red brick with a smooth rendered coping. On the central axis with the longitudinal pathway is a segmental-arched gateway in granite with voussoirs partly coved in shape and granite and brick jambs. At the northern extremity is a rectangular doorway containing double doors of modern tongued and grooved boarding, set below a brick flat arch, leading into the former venison hanging house, which projects beyond the outer face of the garden wall.

The inner face of the north-east wall is plain old red brick with a smooth cement-rendered coping. Near the west end is a wide vehicular gateway, segmental-arched in brick with plain jambs. At the eastern end, at its junction with the transverse party wall, the coping rakes down to meet the gable of a former greenhouse in the bothy yard. The gable coping has a tooled edge and is surmounted by a large stoneware urn; the gable walling is otherwise of rubble stonework.

TRANSVERSE OR PARTY GARDEN WALL

On the side facing the upper garden, the northern end is of rubble stone with a concrete coping, and contains a Gothic-arched gateway near the north end with a tooled arris to the arch and jambs of pink sandstone; the ironwork gate has Gothic-arched rails, and both faces of the archway are similarly treated. Extending southwards from just beyond this Gothic gateway, the walling is of old red brick with a concrete coping. On the central axis with the longitudinal path through both gardens is a wide segmental brick-arched gateway with granite and brick jambs; the gates were moved around 1969 to the main entrance of the gardens in the south-west wall of the lower garden. Two granite steps lead down to the lower garden. The wall continues southwards until it abuts the gardener's house, now the ranger's house.

On the side facing the lower garden, the walling is of rubble stonework with an angled smooth cement-rendered coping, becoming smooth cement-rendered at the south end where it abuts the gardener's house.

LOWER GARDEN — WALLS AND GATEWAYS

The outer face of the north-east wall of the lower garden is of rubble stonework with a smooth cement-rendered coping. Near the left-hand end is a segmental brick-arched pedestrian gateway with brick reveals to the exterior, granite jambs to the interior, a plain iron gate with arrow-head finials, and a granite threshold. The wall continues to the left-hand extremity, where it curves at the corner with the south-east boundary wall; modern smeared pointing is present throughout.

The outer face of the south-east wall is of rubble stonework with modern smeared cement pointing and a canted cement-rendered coping. The wall rakes downhill to the left before ramping up near a gateway known as the Orchard Gateway, which gives onto the axial path through the gardens. The Orchard Gateway comprises a pair of square piers of granite ashlar with projecting moulded bases, projecting cornices, fluted friezes and blocking courses; it contains a pair of black-painted iron gates. The south-east wall continues to the left-hand extremity, where it curves at the corner with the south-west boundary wall.

The outer face of the south-west wall of the lower garden is of rubble stonework with modern smeared pointing and a cement-rendered sloped coping.

On the inner face of the south-west wall of the lower garden, abutting the gardener's cottage, is a segmental-arched gateway that was widened from a smaller pedestrian opening around 1969. It has dressed granite voussoirs and jambs, and contains a pair of ornamentally treated wrought iron gates featuring scrolling terminals, leafy terminals, and a heraldic motif; the intricate details include a pair of models of insects on the vertical rails. A granite step provides access. Above the gateway the parapet steps down to continue as an angled smooth cement-rendered coping to the wall running eastwards, with modern ribbon pointing. The south-west wall curves round to continue as the south-east wall.

The inner face of the south-east wall is similar to the south-west wall and contains a centrally positioned gateway on the axis of the main longitudinal pathway through both gardens, with piers and gates as described for the outer face. At the northern extremity the wall curves round to meet the end of the north-east wall.

The inner face of the north-east wall is of old hand-made red brick with a smooth rendered coping. To the west of the eastern corner the wall contains the trace of a pair of Moorish-style arches, later bricked up. To the west of these is the trace of a rectangular doorway, also later bricked up, alongside an open pedestrian gateway that is segmental brick-arched with granite jambs. Near the west end the wall angles northwards to run alongside one of the conservatories on the terrace, where it is of regular red brick with a red brick coping. The north-east wall then returns to run behind the three conservatories in rubble stonework with some red brick courses to the parapet, with sandstone coping ramped up over the central conservatory. Two doorways in the wall spaces between the conservatories each contain a metal-plated rectangular door set in a brick flat arch with brick jambs.

CONSERVATORIES

Three conservatories project from the northern boundary wall of the lower garden onto a raised terrace and are set at a diagonal to the main garden enclosures.

The western conservatory, known as the fig house but possibly originally the water lily house, is rectangular in plan and gabled to the south. The left-hand wall is largely built against the transverse garden wall; the front gable and right-hand wall have low brick plinth walls painted cream, carrying a timber cill and a superstructure of timber-framed glazing to the sides and roof. There is a moulded metal gutter to the right-hand side with a circular PVC downpipe, and greenhouse glazing to the roof. The central entrance in the front gable contains a pair of rectangular glazed and panelled timber doors; a side doorway has a single door of a similar type.

The eastern conservatory, also known as a fig house, is similar but handed, except that the gutter is of PVC and the side doorway retains a pair of original shaped timber corbels or brackets supporting the gutter.

The central conservatory, known as the peach house, is a long lean-to structure with similar walling to the two flanking conservatories. It has a moulded cast iron gutter to the front with a PVC downpipe to the right centre, cast iron downpipes to the left centre and left-hand extremity, and a rectangular timber glazed and panelled door in each gable.

All three conservatories were reconstructed by the Forest Service between 1976 and 1980. An original photograph of around 1872 survives in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI D1854/5/6/37) showing the conservatories as they then appeared.

TERRACE BALUSTRADING

Across the front or south side of the raised terrace is a balustraded parapet containing three bowed projections to the main south side and breaking forward southwards at the west end. It is comprised of sandstone balusters and a broad rail on a smooth cement-rendered plinth wall, with panelled sandstone pedestals or piers at changes of direction and marking flights of steps at the east and west ends. Granite steps lead down to the lower garden, with granite plinth walls. Old concrete urns surmount the piers at the top of each flight of steps.

GARDEN FEATURES AND ORNAMENTS

The Merboy Fountain stands in the centre of the upper garden on the main longitudinal axis. It is a three-tier fountain consisting of a large circular basin on a square pedestal, surmounted by a smaller circular basin supported on entwined dolphins, which is in turn surmounted by a merboy figure carrying a small shell-like basin on his head. The material appears to be cast concrete or artificial stone, and the fountain stands in a circular pool within a rockery surround.

The Basket Steps stand in the upper garden to the north of the Merboy Fountain. They comprise a flight of nine stone steps with sandstone plinth walls and short sandstone piers to each side at the top and bottom, the two upper piers surmounted by what appear to be ceramic baskets displaying the Annesley monogram. These steps formed part of the Victorian garden layout carried out by the Annesley family.

An urn on pedestal stands in the former sundial garden to the south-west of the Merboy Fountain in the upper garden. It is of carved stone with garlands and masks, on a granite pedestal. This urn was designed by William Burn in 1865 as part of his later additions to the demesne and was moved to this location from the Castle terrace by the Forest Service for safe-keeping.

The Stone Cross — described on site as a Maltese Cross but actually of Celtic wheel cross form — stands at the south end of a transverse path in the upper garden, close to the south-west garden wall. It is a granite wheel cross on a square red brick pedestal. The cross was set up by the Annesleys at an unknown date. It is in fact a Celtic cross finial, one of a pair originally designed for the east and west gables of St Paul's Church of Ireland, Castlewellan, by the Belfast architects Charles Lanyon and William Henry Lynn in 1849–50.

The Urn Steps stand in the lower garden to the east of the main entrance. They comprise a flight of 18 stone steps with low plinth walls, surmounted at the top by short pedestals carrying a pair of large stone urns bearing garlands and grotesque heads. Like the single urns on pedestals elsewhere in the gardens, these were designed by William Burn in 1865 and moved from the Castle terrace by the Forest Service for safe-keeping.

The Heron Fountain stands in the centre of the lower garden on the main longitudinal axis. It comprises a large circular basin on a fluted stone pedestal surmounted by a small basin girt about by figures of three herons, set in the centre of a large circular pool bounded by a moulded granite plinth wall.

A further urn on pedestal stands in the north-east corner of the lower garden, close to the south-east wall and on the axis of the eastern steps to the conservatory terrace. It is of stone ornamented with garlands and masks, standing on a square granite pedestal. This too was designed by William Burn in 1865 and moved from the Castle terrace by the Forest Service.

A stone seat stands on the conservatory terrace in the lower garden. It is a low circular granite seat on a fluted and moulded pedestal. An identical seat stands on the Castle terrace and was designed by William Burn in 1859; whether this example was set up here at that time or subsequently brought from the Castle terrace is not known.

FORMER GARDENER'S HOUSE (NOW RANGER'S HOUSE)

This building forms part of the outer face of the south-west wall of both the upper and lower gardens and is abutted by the transverse party wall. It is a two-storey, three-bay house with a hipped roof, with the main entrance facing south-west. Its precise date is not known, but it is shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1859 and appears to incorporate a smaller block already present on the OS map of 1833, which may date from the same period as the slaughter house and hanging house.

The south-west elevation has a roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with overhanging eaves, a panelled fascia, and a cast iron gutter. There is one modern rooflight and one chimney of smooth cement render, lined and blocked, with modern black pots. The walling is of rubble stonework with some squared granite quoins, brick dressings to the jambs of the upper windows, and brick flat-arched heads to the ground-floor windows. Windows are rectangular timber sliding sashes, 6 over 6, with horns, in exposed sash boxes, with projecting granite cills and smooth cement-rendered reveals; concrete lintels serve the first-floor windows. To the left-hand side is a later projecting flat-roofed porch with plinth walls of regular coursed granite, a concrete cill supporting PVC-framed glazing to three sides, a PVC fascia, an asphalt-covered flat roof, and PVC guttering and downpipe. Extending further to the left is a rubble stone screen wall forming part of the main south-west wall of the upper garden, with a gateway to its west: the gateway has brick dressings to the jambs and modern metal-plated double doors hung on modern square steel posts fixed to the inside face of the wall, leading to a tarmac driveway in the area of the upper garden attached to the house.

The north-west elevation is two-storey with a hipped roof slated as before and one modern rooflight. The walling is as described; two windows, one to each floor, are semi-circular brick-arched with brick block dressings to the jambs, projecting granite cills, and semi-circular arched timber sliding sashes, vertically hung, 1 over 1, with horns. Cast iron gutter and downpipe are present.

The north-east elevation has the same roof and walling. Projecting from the right-hand side is a single-storey mono-pitch roofed rear return with walls of smooth cement render, lined and blocked, with a timber fascia and roof slated to match the main house; cast iron guttering is retained. There are modern PVC-framed door and window, and modern louvred flush timber doors to a narrow extension to the return. To the east of the rear return the north elevation walling is a fine roughcast render. A first-floor window is a rectangular timber sliding sash, 2 over 2, with horns, set in an exposed sash box with plain reveals and a projecting granite cill. Below is a rear doorway containing a glazed and panelled door reached by a short flight of granite steps. To the left is a modern PVC fixed light and top-hung vent window with an original granite cill. The east side of the rear return is part of the transverse garden wall: smooth cement-rendered with a smooth rendered parapet behind, and containing one modern rectangular PVC fixed light with top-hung vents and a modern concrete cill.

BOTHY HOUSE

The bothy house is a single-storey gabled building on the north side of the bothy yard. The south elevation is three-bay, with rubble stone walls, brick block dressings and a projecting brick eaves course. The roof is of corrugated iron, with PVC guttering and a cast iron downpipe (broken). Windows are rectangular timber fixed lights with top-hung vents, projecting granite cills, and brick flat-arched heads. The central door is a modern flush timber door with a modern metal handle. There are two red brick chimneys — the eastern one now overgrown with creeper — with two stub pots to the western chimney. Extending to the west is a single-storey flat-roofed extension in similar walling, with a glazed flush timber door. Further west, within the yard, is a greenhouse of timber plinth walls supporting timber-framed glazing and a lean-to roof. The east gable of the bothy house is blank except for a projecting red brick chimney from a red brick low boiler house at ground level. The west gable is blank rubble stone walling with a red brick chimney at the apex.

The north elevation is three-bay with rubble stone walls, shaped granite quoins, and brick dressings to openings. The pitched corrugated iron roof has PVC guttering but the downpipe is missing. The symmetrical front has a central doorway flanked by one window on each side: the door is a rectangular flush timber door set in a timber frame with smooth rendered reveals, a flat brick arch head, and a modern metal handle. The windows are rectangular timber sliding sashes, 6 over 6, with horns, projecting granite cills, and brick flat-arched heads. To the right of an outshot building in the angle with the yard boundary wall is a single-storey block with painted dry-dash rendered walls and an asphalt-covered flat roof.

BOTHY YARD — BOUNDARY WALLS AND OUTBUILDINGS

The outer face of the north side of the bothy yard boundary wall, to the east of the bothy house, has a vehicular gateway with rectangular piers of snecked granite with tapered granite stone caps and a pair of modern tongued and grooved timber sheeted doors. The boundary wall ramps up to the left of the gateway and continues to the angle with the east side of the yard, with granite quoins.

The outer face of the east side of the bothy yard boundary wall is of rubble stonework surmounted by a stone balustrade that terminates at a gabled building. The gable contains a segmental brick-arched and dressed recess at ground-floor level, which appears to be a former gateway now closed with brickwork on the inside; the first floor has a segmental brick-arched and dressed window fitted with a modern rectangular timber fixed light with top-hung vent. The now-blocked ground-floor recess originally led to an underground passage housing the pipes for heating the conservatories on the terrace. To the left, the east boundary wall of the bothy yard continues until it meets the main north-east wall of the lower garden.

On the south side of the bothy yard, built against the red brick rear wall of the conservatories on the raised terrace, are two lean-to single-storey sheds. The eastern one is a former fruit house with rubble stone walling and red brick block dressings; a central rectangular door of tongued and grooved boarding with an old latch handle; windows of rectangular timber sliding sash, 3 over 6, without horns, with granite cills and brick flat-arched heads; a roof of natural slates in regular courses; and PVC guttering with PVC downpipe. The west gable is blind. The western shed is longer and of similar construction in roof, walling, doors and windows, except that two windows have been replaced by 9-pane fixed lights; it retains original flush rooflights to the roof, a central red brick chimney with one original tall octagonal stoneware pot. Extending further to the west is an open shed where the walling appears to be a former red brick plinth to a greenhouse, later built up with red brick piers and filled with steel grilles in place of windows; the roof is of corrugated iron with PVC guttering and downpipe, and there is an open doorway. The west gable is of similar brick plinth, steel grille, and corrugated iron cladding. The rear wall of the greenhouses is plain red brick with a sandstone coping ramped down to a lower level at each end. Between the rear sheds is an open passage leading to a doorway containing a rectangular metal-plated door set in a plain timber surround with a timber lintel below a segmental red brick relieving arch.

The inner faces of the bothy yard boundary walls are: to the west, rubble stonework partly rendered; to the north, rubble stonework partly rendered where previously abutted by greenhouses; to the east, a low rubble stone plinth wall or parapet surmounted by sandstone balustrading, partly damaged and partly missing.

The bothy yard is hard-surfaced, partly gravelled, and contains the bases and footings of previous greenhouses now demolished.

SETTING

The walled garden complex stands within the demesne of Castlewellan Castle to the north-east of the castle itself. It is surrounded by wooded and grassed areas with paths and drives, some of which lead into the walled areas through pedestrian or vehicular gateways. The grounds within the garden walls are laid out with grassed areas and are densely planted with exotic trees and shrubs, through which both formally and informally arranged pathways run. Within the walled garden areas, there are some features of no special interest: old iron gates on modern posts leading from the axial path to the nursery in the upper garden, and a greenhouse, toilet, and bases of former greenhouses in the bothy yard.