Ashfield Park

GEORGE CHARLES BRACKENRIDGE OWNED 2,649 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY TYRONE

JOSEPH TRIMBLE, of Ashfield Park, County Tyrone (whose mother, Margaret, was daughter of George Brackenridge, of Ballymacan (Ballagh), County Tyrone), died in 1841, leaving issue, by Catherine his wife, daughter of Thomas Smith, of Lisnaskea,

GEORGE CHARLES, his heir;
Jane, m;
Margaret, m.

He was succeeded by his only son,

GEORGE CHARLES BRACKENRIDGE JP DL (1814-79), of Ashfield Park, a barrister, who assumed, in 1846, the metronymic of BRACKENRIDGE in lieu of Trimble, and the arms of Brackenridge quarterly with those of Trimble.

Mr Brackenridge married, in 1870, Matilda Anne (d 1919), daughter of the Rev Sir John Richardson-Bunbury Bt, and had an only child,

UPTON PERCIVAL BRACKENRIDGE (1872-1927).

Photo Credit: http://www.stonedatabase.com

ASHFIELD PARK, near Clogher, County Tyrone, stands close to the Fardross estate.

It was built in 1840 in the Italianate style.

It comprises two storeys and four bays, with a hipped slate roof.

A concealed glass dome is in the centre of the roof.

The doorway has a flight of steps; and above the door there is a rounded arch with fanlight.

There are paired, recessed windows with Corinthian columns forming mullions.

Canted, two-storey bays are on the eastern side.

Photo Credit: http://www.stonedatabase.com

George Charles Brackenridge built a monumental tower for himself on a hilltop in his estate, where he was interred.

This triple-tiered mausoleum of 1847 comprises a three-storey tower topped with an iron railing, above a vault.

The base is square and at ground-floor level there are arched door and window openings.

The entrance is accessible by means of a narrow stairway a mere 18" in width.

The top floor is reached by a ladder through a trapdoor.

Mr Brackenridge's memorial tower was plundered during the 2nd World War by troops garrisoned in the vicinity.

First published in April, 2015.