Castlewellan Forest Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Castlewellan Forest Park |
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Castlewellan Lake, Castlewellan Forest Park, with the Mourne Mountains in the background
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| Map | |
 Location in Northern Ireland
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| Geography | |
| Location | Down, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 54°15′54″N 5°57′22″W / 54.265°N 5.956°W |
| Area | 450 hectares (1,100 acres) |
| Administration | |
| Governing body | Forest Service Northern Ireland |
Castlewellan Forest Park is a super cool place located in the town of Castlewellan in County Down, Northern Ireland.
This huge park covers about 460 hectares, which is like 1,100 football fields! It includes beautiful woodlands and a large 40-hectare lake. The park first opened to the public in 1967. This happened after the Forest Service bought the land from the Annesley family. Some of the most exciting parts of the park are the National Arboretum, the Peace Maze, and Castlewellan Castle.
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Amazing Trees: The National Arboretum
Castlewellan Forest Park is home to the National Arboretum of Northern Ireland. An arboretum is like a special garden for trees. This one started way back in 1740! It has trees from all over the world, including Asia, North and South America, and even Australasia.
Giant Sequoias and Champion Trees
Some of the most famous trees here are the Giant sequoias. These massive trees were planted in the 1850s. They are so big that small birds called treecreepers actually burrow into their bark to make nests!
The gardens originally had over 1,800 different types of trees and shrubs. These were planted by Hugh Annesley, 5th Earl Annesley and his head gardener. Today, more than 700 types of plants still grow in the arboretum. This includes at least 30 "champion trees," which are the biggest or tallest of their kind in the UK or Ireland!
Restoring the Gardens
For a while, the gardens didn't get as much care as they needed. But between 2012 and 2014, a lot of work was done to fix them up. This included restoring the greenhouses and the Moorish Tower. In 2021, an even bigger project was announced to restore the arboretum and the castle courtyard. The park received £5.5 million for this work. Half of the money came from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The other half came from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
The Peace Maze
Get ready to get lost (in a fun way!) in the Peace Maze. This giant maze was built between 2000 and 2001. It's made from 6,000 yew trees that were planted by volunteers from Northern Ireland. For a few years, it was the longest permanent hedge maze in the world! However, in 2007, a maze in Hawaii became even longer.
Castlewellan Castle
Right near the arboretum, overlooking Castlewellan Lake, stands the impressive Castlewellen Castle. It looks like a castle you'd see in a fairy tale! It was built by the Annesley family between 1856 and 1858. The castle is built in a style called "Scottish baronial," which means it looks like old Scottish castles. It was even built on the spot where an old church used to be.
Who Built the Castle?
The 4th Earl Annesley, named William Annesley, 4th Earl Annesley, decided to build the castle. He hired a Scottish architect named William Burn to design it. The castle was made from granite found right there in the local area. It was built by a company from Liverpool called Parker partnership.
Castle Owners Through History
When the 4th Earl passed away in 1874, the castle and its huge estate went to his brother, Hugh Annesley, 5th Earl Annesley. Hugh was the one who really improved the arboretum, making it even more amazing. His son, Francis Annesley, 6th Earl Annesley, inherited the estate in 1908. Sadly, Francis was killed in the First World War in 1914. After that, the earldom went to his cousin. The Castlewellan Estate itself went to his sister, Lady Mabel. She later left it to her son, Gerald Francis Annesley, who eventually sold it to the government.
Since 1974, the castle has been used as a Christian conference center. Before that, it was empty for ten years.
Special Plants of Castlewellan
The park is famous for its unique plants. One special tree is the Castlewellan Gold Leyland cypress. This tree was first found in the park as a mutant tree. The park director, John Keown, chose it and it was given a special name in 1963. The original tree is still in the ornamental gardens today.
Award-Winning Arboretum
As mentioned before, the National Arboretum of Northern Ireland is in the park. It has trees from all over the world, including beautiful Japanese Maples. The Giant sequoias planted in the 1850s are also a big highlight. In May 2018, the arboretum received a special award. The International Dendrology Society gave it a plaque for having an "exceptional" collection of trees. This society works to protect rare and endangered plants and trees.
The Famous Giant Sequoias
The Giant sequoias were planted as young trees in 1856. Their seeds were collected in California by a famous plant collector named William Lobb. One of these amazing trees has grown 19 separate trunks! This is very rare for this type of tree when it's grown outside its natural home. This special tree was even voted Northern Ireland's Tree of the Year in 2018!
Images for kids
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Gateway at Castlewellan Arboretum
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Giant sequoia
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