Castle Ward
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- see Castle, Swansea for the Castle electoral ward in Swansea
Castle Ward is a 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. It also hosts a summer Festival of Opera each year.
[edit] History
- Castle Ward was built in 1760 by Bernard and Anne Ward. As they each had wholly differing attitudes towards architectural style, half of the building is Gothic whilst the other is Classical.
- The harbour at Killough was built in the 18th century by the Wards of Castle Ward house and a straight road still runs from Castle Ward to Killough.
- The Wards also had an interest in taxidermy, as evidenced by the large Russian Bear in the foyer, and the five dioramas of boxing Red Squirrels in Annie Ward's study.
[edit] The Troubles
- 10 February 1973 - Leonard O'Hanlon (23) and Vivienne Fitzsimmons (17), both Catholic members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, were killed in a premature bomb explosion in the grounds of Castle Ward estate.
