Gosford Forest Park

Gosford Forest Park

Gosford Forest Park is located outside the Co. Armagh village of Markethill. Gosford Forest Park, previously Gosford Demesne, was acquired by the Department of Agriculture in 1958 and comprises some 240 hectares of diverse woodland and open parkland. Gosford Forest Park is also home to Gosford Castle.It was designated the first conservation forest in Northern Ireland in 1986.

Facilities

. Facilities available include: • Camping and Caravanning Site (with mains electricity) • Picnic and Barbecue areas • Tea House and Shop

• Way-marked Trails

• Horse-riding routes

• Orienteering routes

• Disabled facilities

• Bookable Guided Tours

• Special events (arranged by permit)

• Function Hall

History

In the early 1600's the Acheson family came to the Markethill area, and built a very substantial farmhouse near the present town of Markethill. The family came from Monmouthshire and, in fact, the present Earl of Weymes is related to the Achesons who later became the Earls of Gosford. When they came here first they brought with them 13 families, and some of the family names still survive in the area, notably Galbraith, Greer, etc. One of the two forts (or raths) in Gosford Forest was named after the Greer family who farmed the land in that area.

The first dwelling place of the Achesons was burned down; this house was near the town of Markethill which the family were responsible for founding. In 1610 the family were granted the lands of the present estate. They proceeded to build another house using locally procured, hand-made, red brick. This house was named Clonkearney Manor after the townland in which it was built. The path to this site is up near the ponds, but unfortunately only a portion of the red brick foundations is now visible. This house was reputed to have been burned down during the Williamite wars in the mid 1600's.

The estate is now owned by the forestry Service and boasts excellent facilities and a cafe. It also houses one of Northern Ireland's premier collections of rare breeds. Gosford Castle has just been renovated into 27 new apartments which are currently being sold.

In 1989, Gosford Forest Park hosted the Irish Scout Jamboree, Gosford 89 which was attended by over 3000 scouts from around the world and hosted beside Gosford Castle.

How To Get There

From Armagh: Take the A28 Newry Road to Markethill. Entrance to the forest is signposted from A28.

References

[http://www.gosford.co.uk Gosford Forest Park]

External links

* [http://www.gosford.co.uk/ Gosford forest Park]
* [http://www.gosford.co.uk/history.html History of Gosford Forest Park]
* [http://www.pbase.com/cartmg91/gosford Photo Gallery of Gosford (pbase.com)]
* [http://www.gosford.co.uk/castle.html History of Gosford Castle with Pictures]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gosford Castle — is situated in Gosford, a townland of Markethill, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, close to the border with County Down. Construction of the castle began in 1819 and finished in the 1850s. It was commissioned by Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of… …   Wikipedia

  • Marramarra National Park — Marramarra is a national park in New South Wales (Australia), 41 km north of Sydney. Fact sheet Area: 118 km² Coordinates: 33°31′30″S 151°03′28″E /  …   Wikipedia

  • Markethill — Coordinates: 54°17′55″N 6°31′17″W / 54.2985°N 6.5214°W / 54.2985; 6.5214 …   Wikipedia

  • List of forests in the United Kingdom — This is a list of some of the forests in the United Kingdom.EnglandBedfordshire *Forest of Marston ValeBuckinghamshire *Burnham Beeches *Whiteleaf HillCheshire *Delamere ForestCounty Durham * Hamsterly ForestCumbria *Whinfell ForestDerbyshire… …   Wikipedia

  • List of parks in Northern Ireland — The following is an incomplete list of Parks and Open Spaces in Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. County Antrim BelfastOther* Antrim Round Tower * Carrickfergus Castle * Dunluce Castle * Hillsborough Castle and Gardens *… …   Wikipedia

  • Summer Madness — is Ireland s largest Christian festival. It usually takes place over the first weekend in July in the King s Hall, South Belfast The festival was commissioned nearly twenty years ago by the Church Of Ireland Youth Department. It was previously… …   Wikipedia

  • Mullaghbrack — Coordinates: 54°19′12″N 6°31′48″W / 54.320°N 6.530°W / 54.320; 6.530 Mullaghbrack or Mullaghbrac (from I …   Wikipedia

  • Список зоологических парков — Неполный список зоологических садов (зоопарков): Содержание 1 Азия 1.1 Афганистан 1.2 …   Википедия

  • Список зоопарков — Неполный список зоологических садов (зоопарков): Содержание 1 Азия 1.1 Афганистан 1.2 Бангладеш …   Википедия

  • Brisbane — This article is about the Australian metropolis. For the local government area, see City of Brisbane. For other uses, see Brisbane (disambiguation). Brisbane Queensland …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”