Castle Ward, Strangford, United Kingdom

Castle Ward has been the home of the Ward family since ca. 1570. Known originally as Carrick na Sheannagh and owned by the Earls of Kildare, it was bought by Bernard Ward, father of Sir Robert Ward, Surveyor-General of Ireland. The 850 acre walled demesne also dates from the 16th century. The Ward family built a succession of homes in their estate; Old Castle Ward, built about 1590 near to Strangford Lough, still survives, but a mansion built about 1720 by Judge Michael Ward was demolished about 1850, although some of the associated landscaping remains.

The architect of the current building, built during the early 1760s for Michael Ward's son Bernard Ward, 1st Viscount Bangor is unknown, although he may have come from the Bristol area, with which the Ward family had associations. It may have been James Bridges who practiced in Bristol between 1757 and 1763 and whose work there has some similarity to Castle Ward.

The property was inherited by a settlement made in 1748 by Bernard Ward's eldest son, Nicholas, 2nd Viscount Bangor, who was clearly insane. When his younger brother, Edward, died in 1812, leaving a young son, the youngest brother Robert took the opportunity to relocate the insane Nicholas into a smaller house in Downpatrick and strip Castle Ward of everything valuable. The house stood empty until the death of Nicholas in 1827, when it was inherited by Edward's son, now the 3rd Viscount. He and his descendants restored the building and its furnishings, but on the death of the 6th Viscount in 1950 the house and estate were given in lieu of death duties to the Government of Northern Ireland, who presented the house and its gardens to the National Trust in 1952.

Castle Ward is open to the public and includes 332 hectares (820 acres) of landscaped gardens, a fortified tower house, Victorian laundry, theatre, restaurant, shop, saw mill and a working corn mill. It has a shore on Strangford Lough. There is a tower house in the estate's farmyard, built as a defensive structure during 1610 by Nicholas Ward.

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User Reviews

Sarah Sumsion (3 years ago)
We happened to go as they closed, so didn't get to see inside anything. But the grounds were lovely, although quite a walk from where we parked. But just beautiful and picturesque!

Neil Anderson (3 years ago)
Great National Trust location with an interesting house and an extensive estate with walking and cycling trails of varied lengths. Excellent tea room and shop. Beautiful location on the shoreline if Stanford Lough.

Kate Maguire-Gamet (3 years ago)
Such a marvellous old house built in 17 hundreds. The gardens are splendid ??wouldn't mind living in this house. It was a beautiful sunny ?day too!

Robert Simpson (3 years ago)
Arrived a bit late but coffee shop open very friendly staff had time for shop then bookstore where I purchased a local guide book of county Down s antiquities Lots to visit in future. Short walk in gardens few rests leaning on fence/walls admired views. No interior house visit today.

Lorraine Thompson (4 years ago)
Beautiful place. Love going there with my family. Great walks. They put different festivals on as well during the year , which can be good fun for the kids. Would highly recommend.

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