Castlewellan Forest Park

Castlewellan Forest Park
Castlewellan Lake, Castlewellan Forest Park, with the Mourne Mountains in the background
Geography
Map showing the location of Castlewellan Forest Park
Location of Castlewellan Forest Park
Location Down, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Coordinates 54°15′54″N 5°57′22″W / 54.265°N 5.956°W / 54.265; -5.956Coordinates: 54°15′54″N 5°57′22″W / 54.265°N 5.956°W / 54.265; -5.956
Area 450 hectares (1,100 acres)
Governing body Forest Service Northern Ireland

Castlewellan Forest Park is located in Castlewellan, Northern Ireland. It contains the national Arboretum of Northern Ireland, started in 1740, which contains trees from Asia, North and South America, and Australasia. Giant sequoia were planted in the 1850s. They are used by treecreepers, who burrow into its bark and make nests.[1] The gardens were reopened in 2013 after undergoing maintenance.[2]

Features

The peace maze located in the park was constructed between 2000 and 2001. It contains 6000 yew trees planted by volunteers from Northern Ireland.[1] It was the longest permanent hedge maze in the world until July 2007, when the Pineapple Garden Maze in Wahiawa, Hawaii was extended.[2][3]

Castwellan Castle is a Scottish baronial castle built by the Annesley family between 1856 and 1858.[4][5] It is close to the entrance of the arboretum and overlooks Castlewellan Lake. The castle is now used as a Christian conference centre.[6]

Flora

The Castlewellan Gold Leyland cypress was developed in the park from a mutant tree. It was selected by the park director, John Keown, and named Cupressus macrocarpa 'Keownii' in 1963.[7] The original specimen is located in the ornamental gardens.[8]

The national Arboretum of Northern Ireland is located in the park. It was first started in 1740 and contains trees from Asia, Australasia, and North and South America, including Japanese Maple and Giant sequoia planted in the 1850s.[1] In May 2018 the arboretum was awarded a plaque by the International Dendrology Society for having a "dendrological collection of exceptional merit." The society encourages the conservation of rare and endangered plants and trees.[9]


References

  1. 1 2 3 "Woodlands - Castlewellan Arboretum". BBC. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Castlewellan Forest Park". NI Direct. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "Largest maze, permanent hedge maze". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Hill, Niki (1997). The Mournes. Dundurn. p. 66. ISBN 9781900935043.
  5. ↑ Maguire, W. A. (2000). A century in focus: photography and photographers in the North of Ireland, 1839-1939. Blackstaff. p. 42. ISBN 9780856406799.
  6. ↑ "Welcome to Castlewellan Castle". castlewellancastle.org. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  7. ↑ Gerd Krüssmann (1995). Manual of Cultivated Conifers. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. p. 101. ISBN 9780881920079.
  8. ↑ Rogers, Mal (July 23, 2014). "The top alternative tourist spots in Ireland". The Irish Post. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  9. ↑ Moynagh, Aileen (3 May 2018). "Castlewellan garden receives international award". BBC. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
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