Mount Panther Visit

I have spent a most illuminating day at Mount Panther estate today. I was invited to accompany a friend on a private visit. The estate comprises 170 acres. Mount Panther House, despite having been built around 1770, remains a noble mansion, now ruinous without a roof.

I saw the very large walled garden; the extensive outbuildings, including stable block with its clock tower (alas the clock faces and bell are no longer there); the old kitchen with its Aga still in situ, in the corner, the remains of a curved wall that once encased a spiral staircase giving access to upper floors.

The library, though now in a state of disrepair, still has the original bookshelves set into the walls.

The basement is magical: A labyrinth of vaulted rooms. One can almost sense the hive of activity that this part of the house would have generated.

Le morceau du bijou was the ballroom, once used by the cream of County Down society. Sections of the 18th century stucco plasterwork with Wedgewood blue paint still remain, an extraordinary phenomenon given its age and exposure to the elements for half a century.

The house has three storeys over a basement.