Moyola Park facts for kids
Moyola Park is a large country estate (a big piece of land with a main house) located near a town called Castledawson in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It's a beautiful area that covers about 450 acres (which is about 1.8 square kilometres).
Today, Moyola Park is the home of Lady Moyola. She is the widow of Lord Moyola, who was once the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. A Prime Minister is the main leader of the government in a country or region. The estate is also home to the Moyola Park Golf Club, which was built by Lord and Lady Moyola themselves.
Contents
A Home with History
Moyola House, the main building at Moyola Park, was built a very long time ago in 1713.
Who Built Moyola House?
The house was built by a man named Joshua Dawson. He was an important person who worked for the government under Queen Anne, a famous queen of England. Joshua Dawson was known as the "Chief-Secretary." This job was like being a very senior assistant to the government's leader.
The Mansion House Connection
Joshua Dawson also built another famous building in Dublin, Ireland, called the Mansion House. He built it in 1710, just a few years before Moyola House. In 1715, he sold the Mansion House for £3,500. Since then, it has become the official home for the Lord Mayor of Dublin. The Lord Mayor is the ceremonial head of the city of Dublin, like a very important city leader.
The Chichester-Clark Family
The family who owns Moyola Park today, the Chichester-Clark family, is connected to the Dawsons. This connection happened because Mary Dawson married Lord Adolphus Spencer-Churchill Chichester. This marriage brought the two families together, and that's how the Chichester-Clark family came to own Moyola Park.
