Tollymore Forest Park
Encyclopedia
Tollymore Forest Park was the first state forest park
in Northern Ireland
, established on the 2 June 1955. It is located at Bryansford
, near the town of Newcastle
. Covering an area of 630 hectares (1,556.8 acre) at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, the forest park offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and the sea at nearby Newcastle. The forest has four walking trails signposted by different coloured arrows, the longest being the "long haul trail" at 8 miles (12.9 km) long. The Shimna River
flows through the park. Tollymore was listed in The Sunday Times
top twenty British picnic sites for 2000. The Forest Park is now owned and run by the Forest Service NI, part of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
.
including a barn dressed up to look like a church, stone cones atop gate piers and gothic-style gate arches. All show the influence of the highly individualistic designer, Thomas Wright
of Durham
(1711–1786), who was a friend of Lord Clanbrassil (Earl of Roden
), owner of Tollymore at the time. Walks along the Shimna river are marked by many natural and artificial features – rocky outcrops, bridges, grottos and caves. There are also experimental forest plots of exotic trees such as monkey puzzle
and eucalyptus
and giant redwoods
and Monterey pine
s. Oak
wood from Tollymore was the preferred material for the interiors of the White Star
liners including the RMS Titanic built in Belfast
. The original tree of the slow-growing spruce, Picea abies
'Clanbrassiliana', which originated nearby in about 1750, remains and is the oldest tree in any arboretum
in Ireland
. An avenue of Deodar cedars is a striking feature of the entrance. The Forest Park also has camping and caravanning facilities.
. This remained in the family until about 1685 when Bryan Maginness died unmarried and his sister Ellen, who had married Captain William Hamilton of Ayrshire
, inherited the land. The Hamilton family remained owners of Tollymore until 1798. The great grandson of William Hamilton, James, died in 1798 without children and Tollymore was transferred to his sister Anne, who married Robert Jocelyn, 1st Earl of Roden
. The Roden family
continued in possession of Tollymore throughout the 19th century, and in 1930 the Robert Jocelyn, 8th Earl of Roden
sold part of the estate to the Ministry of Agriculture for afforestation purposes. The remainder was sold to the Ministry in 1941.
(L.) Ag. var. flexilis.
Pteridophyta: Hymenophyllum wilsonii Hooker; Phegopteris connectilis
(Michx.) Watt; Polystichum aculeatum
(L.) Roth; Dryopteris aemula (Ait.) Kuntze.
Angiospermae: Acaena ovalifolia Ruiz & Pavon; Acaena novae-zelandiae
Kirk; Rosa arvensis Huds; Prunus padus L.; Circaea × intermedia Ehrh; Pyrola minor
L.; Scrophularia auriculata L. Mimulus moschatus
Dougl. ex Lindl.; Melampyrum pratense
L.; Lathraea squamaria
L. Pinguicula lusitanica
L.; Mentha gentilis L.; Sambucus ebulus L.; Erigeron karvinskianus
DC; Hieracium senescens Backhouse; Hieracium argenteum Fr.; Hieracium duriceps F. J. Hanbury; Hieracium grandidens Dahlst.; Hieracium stewartii (L.) Willd.; Neottia nidus-avis (L.) Rich.; Carex laevigata
Sm.; Carex pallescens L.; Carex pilulifera
L.; Festuca altissima All.; Melica uniflora Retz; Milium effusum
L.
Forest Park
-Towns and villages:*Forest Park, Ontario, Canada*Forest Park, Georgia, USA*Forest Park, Illinois, USA*Forest Park, Ohio, Hamilton county, Ohio, USA*Forest Park, Ottawa County, Ohio, USA*Forest Park, Oklahoma, USA...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, established on the 2 June 1955. It is located at Bryansford
Bryansford
Bryansford is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It sits at the northern side of Tollymore Forest Park, roughly halfway between the towns of Newcastle and Castlewellan. The village is within the townlands of Ballyhafry and Aghacullion...
, near the town of Newcastle
Newcastle, County Down
Newcastle is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,444 people recorded in the 2001 Census. The seaside resort lies on the Irish Sea coast at the base of Slieve Donard, one of the Mourne Mountains, and is known for its sandy beach and the Royal County Down Golf Club...
. Covering an area of 630 hectares (1,556.8 acre) at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, the forest park offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and the sea at nearby Newcastle. The forest has four walking trails signposted by different coloured arrows, the longest being the "long haul trail" at 8 miles (12.9 km) long. The Shimna River
Shimna River
The Shimna River is located in County Down, Northern Ireland. The source of the River Shimna is in the Mourne Mountains on the slopes of Ott Mountain. The river then flows in a northerly direction into Fofanny Dam. The river continues its flow but changes to a north-easterly direction flowing into...
flows through the park. Tollymore was listed in The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
top twenty British picnic sites for 2000. The Forest Park is now owned and run by the Forest Service NI, part of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...
.
Features
Tollymore features many folliesFolly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
including a barn dressed up to look like a church, stone cones atop gate piers and gothic-style gate arches. All show the influence of the highly individualistic designer, Thomas Wright
Thomas Wright (astronomer)
Thomas Wright was an English astronomer, mathematician, instrument maker, architect and garden designer. He was the first to describe the shape of the Milky Way and speculate that faint nebulae were distant galaxies....
of Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
(1711–1786), who was a friend of Lord Clanbrassil (Earl of Roden
Earl of Roden
Earl of Roden is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1771 for Robert Jocelyn, 2nd Viscount Jocelyn. This branch of the Jocelyn family descends from the 1st Viscount, prominent Irish lawyer and politician Robert Jocelyn, the son of Thomas Jocelyn, third son of Sir Robert Jocelyn,...
), owner of Tollymore at the time. Walks along the Shimna river are marked by many natural and artificial features – rocky outcrops, bridges, grottos and caves. There are also experimental forest plots of exotic trees such as monkey puzzle
Araucaria araucana
Araucaria araucana is an evergreen tree growing to tall with a trunk diameter. The tree is native to central and southern Chile, western Argentina and south Brazil. Araucaria araucana is the hardiest species in the conifer genus Araucaria...
and eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
and giant redwoods
Sequoiadendron
Sequoiadendron giganteum is the sole living species in the genus Sequoiadendron, and one of three species of coniferous trees known as redwoods, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae, together with Sequoia sempervirens and...
and Monterey pine
Monterey Pine
The Monterey Pine, Pinus radiata, family Pinaceae, also known as the Insignis Pine or Radiata Pine is a species of pine native to the Central Coast of California....
s. Oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
wood from Tollymore was the preferred material for the interiors of the White Star
White Star Line
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
liners including the RMS Titanic built in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. The original tree of the slow-growing spruce, Picea abies
Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is also commonly referred to as the European Spruce.- Description :...
'Clanbrassiliana', which originated nearby in about 1750, remains and is the oldest tree in any arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. An avenue of Deodar cedars is a striking feature of the entrance. The Forest Park also has camping and caravanning facilities.
History
The earliest mention of Tollymore was in records dated 1611 when it was stated that the Maginness family of Upper Iveagh received a grant of 7.5 townlands including the Estate of Tollymore, from James IJames I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
. This remained in the family until about 1685 when Bryan Maginness died unmarried and his sister Ellen, who had married Captain William Hamilton of Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, inherited the land. The Hamilton family remained owners of Tollymore until 1798. The great grandson of William Hamilton, James, died in 1798 without children and Tollymore was transferred to his sister Anne, who married Robert Jocelyn, 1st Earl of Roden
Robert Jocelyn, 1st Earl of Roden
Robert Jocelyn, 1st Earl of Roden was an Irish peer and politician.He was the only son of Robert Jocelyn, 1st Viscount Jocelyn and Baron Newport by his first wife Charlotte Anderson. He was M.P for Old Leighlin 1743-56 and Auditor-General of the Exchequer from 1750 until his death...
. The Roden family
Earl of Roden
Earl of Roden is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1771 for Robert Jocelyn, 2nd Viscount Jocelyn. This branch of the Jocelyn family descends from the 1st Viscount, prominent Irish lawyer and politician Robert Jocelyn, the son of Thomas Jocelyn, third son of Sir Robert Jocelyn,...
continued in possession of Tollymore throughout the 19th century, and in 1930 the Robert Jocelyn, 8th Earl of Roden
Earl of Roden
Earl of Roden is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1771 for Robert Jocelyn, 2nd Viscount Jocelyn. This branch of the Jocelyn family descends from the 1st Viscount, prominent Irish lawyer and politician Robert Jocelyn, the son of Thomas Jocelyn, third son of Sir Robert Jocelyn,...
sold part of the estate to the Ministry of Agriculture for afforestation purposes. The remainder was sold to the Ministry in 1941.
Botany
Algae: Nitella flexilisNitella flexilis
Nitella flexilis is a freshwater species of characean algae that is used as a model organism for its large cell size and relative ease of cultivation in the laboratory.-Description:...
(L.) Ag. var. flexilis.
Pteridophyta: Hymenophyllum wilsonii Hooker; Phegopteris connectilis
Phegopteris connectilis
Phegopteris connectilis, commonly known as Long Beech Fern, is a species of fern native to forests of the Holarctic Kingdom.Unlike its close relative, Phegopteris hexagonoptera, which is terrestrial, this species is often epipetric as well as terrestrial.This species is normally apogamous, with a...
(Michx.) Watt; Polystichum aculeatum
Polystichum aculeatum
Polystichum aculeatum is an evergreen fern native to Europe. It is most abundant in upland regions of the British Isles and western France, where it benefits from the combination of mild winters and moist summers, but also occurs more locally across most of Europe except northern Scandinavia,...
(L.) Roth; Dryopteris aemula (Ait.) Kuntze.
Angiospermae: Acaena ovalifolia Ruiz & Pavon; Acaena novae-zelandiae
Acaena novae-zelandiae
Acaena novae-zelandiae is an ornamental plant native to New Zealand and Australia. It can also be found elsewhere as an introduced species, and is considered a noxious weed in some areas, such as Hawaii and California.-Characteristics:Bidgee-Widgee is a prostrate herb...
Kirk; Rosa arvensis Huds; Prunus padus L.; Circaea × intermedia Ehrh; Pyrola minor
Pyrola minor
Pyrola minor, known by the common names snowline wintergreen, lesser wintergreen, and common wintergreen, is a plant species of the genus Pyrola. It has a Circumboreal distribution and can be found throughout the northern latitudes of Eurasia and North America.-External links:****...
L.; Scrophularia auriculata L. Mimulus moschatus
Mimulus moschatus
Mimulus moschatus is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name muskflower.-Distribution:It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to the Rocky Mountains, where it grows in moist, partially shaded habitat in mountains, woodlands, chaparral, and other areas.It...
Dougl. ex Lindl.; Melampyrum pratense
Melampyrum pratense
Melampyrum pratense or Common Cow-wheat is a plant species of the genus Melampyrum. This plant has an interesting relationship with ants. It produces a sugary liquid from small glands under its petals, which wood ants feed on...
L.; Lathraea squamaria
Lathraea squamaria
Common Toothwort is a species of Toothwort.It is parasitic on the roots of hazel and alder, occasionally on beech, in shady places such as hedge sides...
L. Pinguicula lusitanica
Pinguicula lusitanica
Pinguicula lusitanica, commonly known as the Pale Butterwort, is a small butterwort that grows wild in acidic peat bog areas along coastal western Europe from western Scotland and Ireland south through western England and western France to Iberia, and Morocco in northwestern Africa.It usually...
L.; Mentha gentilis L.; Sambucus ebulus L.; Erigeron karvinskianus
Erigeron karvinskianus
Erigeron karvinskianus is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name Latin American fleabane, though some know it as the Santa Barbara daisy....
DC; Hieracium senescens Backhouse; Hieracium argenteum Fr.; Hieracium duriceps F. J. Hanbury; Hieracium grandidens Dahlst.; Hieracium stewartii (L.) Willd.; Neottia nidus-avis (L.) Rich.; Carex laevigata
Carex laevigata
Carex laevigata is a species of sedge. It lives in moist, shady environment in the lowlands of Western and Central Europe, particularly in alder–ash woodland. It is distinguished from similar species, such as C. binervis and C. distans by the presence of tiny red dots on the utricles...
Sm.; Carex pallescens L.; Carex pilulifera
Carex pilulifera
Carex pilulifera is a European species of sedge found in acid heaths, woods and grassland from Macaronesia to Scandinavia. It grows up to tall, with 2–4 female spikes and 1 male spike in an inflorescence...
L.; Festuca altissima All.; Melica uniflora Retz; Milium effusum
Milium effusum
Milium effusum L. is a species of grass in the Poaceae family, native to damp forests of the Holarctic Kingdom.-External links:*...
L.
Publications
In 2005 the 10th Earl of Roden published a history of Tollymore, his family's estate, entitled Tollymore: The History of an Irish Demesne.Further reading
- Kirk, David. 2010. A Tollymore Year. Published by Cottage. ISBN 978-1-900935-90-6