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| Belvoir House: eastern elevation |
I haven't paid Belvoir forest park a visit for awhile.
This is the nearest forest park to the city of Belfast.
In fact it used to have a touring caravan site adjacent to the stable block, though the forestry service closed that down several decades ago.
Belvoir was once a superb demesne, originally the seat of the 1ST VISCOUNT DUNGANNON (second creation) though Lord Dungannon sold it to Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Baronet, less than a century later.
I have a large, A4-sized paperback book entitled A Treasured Landscape: the Heritage of Belvoir Park, edited by Ben Simon.
If you are are interested in Belvoir park, seek it out.
Shortly after Sir Thomas Bateson, 2nd Baronet (later 1st Baron Deramore) died in 1890, the family decided to lease the estate, which in those days comprised no less than 6,348 acres in County Down.
Sir Thomas owned a further 7,762 in County Londonderry, 284 in County Antrim, and 2,927 in County Limerick (the Derry portion included estates shared with Lords Strafford and Londonderry, and Lady Louisa Trench).
The first lessee was Walter Wilson, a director of the Belfast shipbuilders Harland & Wolff, who lived there with his family from 1900 till about 1918.
Sir James Johnson, Lord Mayor of Belfast, was the final resident of Belvoir House.
He and his family lived there from 1919 until 1925.
I have already written about the ultimate fate of the great mansion and its disastrous demolition in 1961.
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| The Former Demesne with the Motte in the Background |
The first lessee was Walter Wilson, a director of the Belfast shipbuilders Harland & Wolff, who lived there with his family from 1900 till about 1918.
Sir James Johnson, Lord Mayor of Belfast, was the final resident of Belvoir House.
He and his family lived there from 1919 until 1925.
I have already written about the ultimate fate of the great mansion and its disastrous demolition in 1961.
The house had been considered as the official residence for the new Governor of Northern Ireland.
Hillsborough Castle was chosen instead.
The estate was also a contender as the seat of the new Parliament of Northern Ireland, though Stormont was selected.
BELVOIR was a renowned shooting estate in its day: A shooting party stayed there for the weekend in 1904, and it is recorded that 431 pheasants, 32 hares, 2 rabbits, 2 woodcocks, and 17 ducks were bagged.
There was a pheasantry at the Big Meadow near the river Lagan.
Three years prior to this, the household comprised seventeen members of staff, including a governess, a housekeeper, under-butler, 1st footman, 2nd footman, page, lady's maid, cook, children's maid, stillroom maid, four housemaids, kitchen maid, scullery maid, and dairy maid.
In those days the estate comprised over 6,000 acres; today that acreage has shrunk to 185.
First published in February, 2016.
Hillsborough Castle was chosen instead.
The estate was also a contender as the seat of the new Parliament of Northern Ireland, though Stormont was selected.
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| Belvoir House from the east with parkland |
BELVOIR was a renowned shooting estate in its day: A shooting party stayed there for the weekend in 1904, and it is recorded that 431 pheasants, 32 hares, 2 rabbits, 2 woodcocks, and 17 ducks were bagged.
There was a pheasantry at the Big Meadow near the river Lagan.
Three years prior to this, the household comprised seventeen members of staff, including a governess, a housekeeper, under-butler, 1st footman, 2nd footman, page, lady's maid, cook, children's maid, stillroom maid, four housemaids, kitchen maid, scullery maid, and dairy maid.
In those days the estate comprised over 6,000 acres; today that acreage has shrunk to 185.
First published in February, 2016.
Interesting article. Love Belvoir Park Forest. Fascinating history.
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