Experience the timeless atmosphere of a garden more than three centuries old! The Antrim Castle Gardens were first laid out in the late 17th Century and are one of only three other gardens of the period that survive in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Canals connected by a cascade are lined with clipped lime and hornbeam hedges.
Paths crisscross through the wooded Wilderness, the main avenue of which leads to an airy clearing with a Round Pond reflecting sky and trees. A large Parterre of 1.25 hectares has been planted up with varieties known in the late seventeenth century.
These impressive 17th century water gardens are one of the earliest of their kind remaining in the British Isles. The site contains many exceptional features including an ancient motte, a spectacular and unique parterre, long canal, round pond and paths through the demesne, as well as remnants of Antrim Castle.
The parterre supplied the Castle with herbs for cooking and medicinal uses. The spectacular Long Canal is divided into two sections by a limestone cascade. The narrow paths along the Canal edge are called "lover paths" as couples had to walk closely together to catch each other should they fall!
The Round Pound at the north end of the "Wilderness" is an original feature of the gardens. The Motte was transformed into a magnificent "viewing mount" in the early 18th century with a corkscrew path lined on the outside with a yew hedge. The summit is accessible upon request. The Castle was erected in stages between 1610 and 1666. In 1922, the castle caught fire and was destroyed. It lay as a ruin until demolition in 1970. All that remains of the castle today is a slightly raised grassed platform and a freestanding Italian Tower which was built in 1887.
Lady Marion and The Wolfhound
Back in the 17th century, Marion, wife of Hugh Clotworthy, often walked through the woods to the Lough Shore. One day a wolf startled her. She fainted and on recovering she saw the wolf was dead. Lying beside her, licking her hand was her defender - an Irish wolfhound.
With gratitude the wolfhound was taken to the Castle and cared for until one day it mysteriously disappeared. One stormy night the howling of a wolfhound was heard high over the wind, startling the wardens of the Castle, who quickly lit beacon fires only to see their enemy gathering below. The hound had raised the alarm and at dawn the occupants of the Castle saw standing on the highest turret a figure of the dog transformed into stone. The legend is commemorated in a statue carved in 1612.
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http://www.antrim.gov.uk/
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