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| The Alexander Vault (Timothy Ferres, 2024) |
On Sunday, April 7th, 2024, I paid my first visit to Pomeroy forest park, County Tyrone, the former estate or demesne of the Lowry family.
The forest park, which is on the edge of the village, is currently in the process of an impressive new development, including a large visitor centre on the site of Pomeroy House and the former Forest School; adventure playgrounds, magical miniature wooden forts and castles, carved figures and fairytale characters.
Pomeroy Demesne, including the fine mansion house on top of the hill, was acquired in 1959-60 from Mrs Alexander, the widow of Major Charles Alexander MC JP DL.
The big house must have been in a reasonably fair condition, because it was used by the forestry service for a few years as a training centre or school:-
"The location was central and two-thirds of the estate had been planted over the years with various tree species. Some of the arable land was found to be ideal for conversion into a Nursery where tree seeds could be sown and young trees transplanted. The House was sufficiently large and had the facilities to accommodate a resident course of fifteen members. The School was opened in October, 1961, and since then has been fully used."
A new, purpose-built forest school was built beside Pomeroy House in 1963; and it is thought that the Georgian mansion house was demolished ca 1970.
I parked my car in a former farmyard - currently the main car-park - beside the remaining outbuildings.
Having enjoyed about four hours wandering around the former demesne, discovering the crumbling walls of the old walled garden at the bottom of the hill, I returned to my car and drove to the main entrance of the park.
This is no grand entrance today; instead we have pebble-dashed or white-washed walls, perhaps three feet in height; whereas there was once a gate lodge within these walls.
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| Memorial to R W Lowry (Timothy Ferres, 2024) |
Across the main road, standing desolate in a bare grassy field, is the vault of Robert William Lowry, JP, DL (1787-1869), whose grandfather had built Pomeroy House.
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| Vault of R W Lowry (Timothy Ferres, 2024) |
I name only Robert W Lowry because there is only one memorial plaque on the north side of the vault to his memory.
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| Vault with main entrance to the park in distance (Timothy Ferres, 2024) |
The vault is today known as the Alexander Vault because the Alexanders were the last owners and inhabitants of Pomeroy Demesne, Major Charles Alexander's mother being Mary Lowry, sister of Robert Thomas Graves Lowry.
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| Lowry coat-of-arms on the west side (Timothy Ferres, 2024) |
Classical style single storey rectangular vault. North side has central metal door with slim attached fluted columns and lintel plus cornice. Flanked by rounded arch and pointed arch window, both blind with slate inserts. Face rendered. West side has coat of arms and regular coursed ashlar contrasting with rubble walls of other two walls.
The Historic Buildings Register remarks:-
"The precise date of building is not recorded but it appears on the OS map of 1906 and stylistically may be supposed to date from the mid-Victorian era, probably around 1870, which would accord with the date of death of the only person commemorated by an inscription, Robert Lowry who died in 1869."
"Robert Lowry was a member of the family who lived in Pomeroy House and who had been responsible for the formalised layout of the village of Pomeroy begun in 1770. The grounds around this vault appear to have originally lain within their estate. In 1971 the setting, which is now completely open, was described as “a carefully planted avenue of monkey-puzzles and yews leading to a path planted with deciduous trees.”
"There was no mention of the vault in this reference which suggests that at that time it was not visible or as easily visible from the public road as it is now."
I counted one solitary monkey-puzzle tree remaining. I gather that monkey-puzzle and yew trees have a very long life-span. What became of them?
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