Castle Caldwell: Walled Garden

Castle Caldwell fish pond in 2025 (Timothy Ferres)

Sir James Caldwell, 4th Baronet (c1722-84), spent a king’s ransom on his sublime demesne on the shores of Lower Lough Erne in County Fermanagh.

In its time Castle Caldwell was acknowledged to be one of the most beautiful demesnes in Ireland.

When he married Elizabeth Hort, a daughter of the Most Rev Josiah Hort, Archbishop of Tuam, Sir James received a dowry of £10,000; and he spent at least £16,000 (about £2.2 million in today's money) embellishing and improving his demesne.

Castle Caldwell: Walled garden ca 1830 (historic OS map)

According to historic maps, Castle Caldwell boasted two walled gardens, the main one being not far to the south-west of the house.

It extended to about 1¾ acres in size.

Castle Caldwell: engraving by F Newbery in 1780

This walled garden had an uncommon feature: four curved alcoves running the length of the south wall.

These alcoves were thought to be for stone fruit, perhaps damsons and plums.

Here there was another feature: a fish pond within the walls, the remains of which are still extant today, near a path.

These features can be seen on a 1780 engraving by Francis Newbery.

The remaining features at Castle Caldwell are of historic importance and in need of conservation.

Castle Caldwell Sign

An old notice written in 1987 about Castle Caldwell, County Fermanagh, by the former Forestry Commission of Northern Ireland proclaimed:-

THE first castle was built here by Sir Edward Blennerhassett in 1612. The castle and the estate were sold to the Caldwell family in 1662. The castle was extensively improved by Sir James Caldwell [4th Baronet]. 

Writing in 1778 to his son John who was in Canada, Sir James tells of having spent £16,000 (about £2.2 million in today's money) on Castle Caldwell.

Two large walled gardens with fish ponds were constructed and the lands which extended to 700 acres were improved. Sir John Caldwell [5th Baronet] inherited the estate after the death of his father in 1784. 

During the last decade of the 18th century Sir John also carried out extensive modifications to the castle and a museum was added to the east wing with six new rooms above it. 

The museum contained rare Irish antiquities, items from abroad and a large collection of stuffed birds and animals from other countries.

The fortunes of the estate declined during the latter half of the 19th century. The contents of the castle were auctioned in 1876 and from this date it rapidly declined into a ruin.

THE Register of Parks, Gardens and Demesne of Special Historic Interest in Northern Ireland states that "much of the demesne was sold off to the Wigan Mining Company and the Scottish Insurance Company in the 1870s, with the castle and demesne lands put up for auction in 1877. Although the castle does not appear to have been sold, it was not re-occupied by the Bloomfield family on a permanent basis, and was noted by the valuers in 1884 as "dilapidated ... [and] going to ruin." It was reduced to a shell by a fire in the early 1900s, and "in ruins" by 1912. In 1913 the demesne was bought by the Forestry Commission."