Clandeboye Estate
Encyclopedia
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
located in Bangor
Bangor, County Down
Bangor is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a seaside resort on the southern side of Belfast Lough and within the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Bangor Marina is one of the largest in Ireland, and holds Blue Flag status...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, 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...
, 12 miles (19.3 km) outside 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...
. Covering 2000 acres (8.1 km²), it contains woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s, formal and walled gardens, lawns, a lake, and 250 hectares (617.8 acre) of farmland. The estate is currently home to the Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, widow of the last Marquess
Sheridan Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 5th Marquess of Dufferin and Ava
Sheridan Frederick Terence Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 5th Marquess of Dufferin and Ava was a British patron of the arts...
(the title being extinct).
History
Clandeboye was first settled in 1674, but the Clandeboye House of today dates from 1801, utilising a design by Robert Woodgate that incorporated elements of the previous building. In memory of his mother, Helen, Lady Dufferin (granddaughter of the playwright Richard Brinsley SheridanRichard Brinsley Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan was an Irish-born playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. For thirty-two years he was also a Whig Member of the British House of Commons for Stafford , Westminster and Ilchester...
), Lord Dufferin and Ava
Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava
Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, KP, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC was a British public servant and prominent member of Victorian society...
built the stone edifice Helen's Tower
Helen's Tower
Helen's Tower lies in the woods of the Clandeboye Estate in Bangor, Northern Ireland. The tower was commissioned by Lord Dufferin of Clandeboye, designed by Scottish architect William Burn and completed in October 1861...
on the estate, which has since been immortalised by Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language....
in the poem of the same name. The tower has taken on an unforeseen poignancy, as an almost exact replica of it, the Ulster Tower
Ulster Tower Thiepval
The Ulster Tower is a memorial to the men of the 36th Division. The memorial was officially opened on November 19, 1921 and is a very close copy of Helen's Tower which stands in the grounds of the Clandeboye Estate, near Bangor, County Down in Northern Ireland...
, was built at Thiepval
Thiepval
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a major war memorial to 72,191 missing British and South African men who died in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918 who have no known grave...
to honour the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division
British 36th (Ulster) Division
The 36th Division was a division of Lord Kitchener's New Army formed in September 1914. Originally called the Ulster Division, it was made up of members of the Ulster Volunteer Force, who formed thirteen additional battalions for three existing regiments: the Royal Irish Fusiliers, the Royal Irish...
who fell at the Battle of the Somme
Battle of the Somme (1916)
The Battle of the Somme , also known as the Somme Offensive, took place during the First World War between 1 July and 14 November 1916 in the Somme department of France, on both banks of the river of the same name...
. The estate was used for army training during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and the 36th (Ulster) Division trained beside Helen's Tower before leaving for France. The tower can be reached via the Ulster Way
Ulster Way
The Ulster Way is a series of walking routes which encircle the Irish province of Ulster. It was founded in the 1970s by Wilfred Capper , who was inspired by Tom Stephenson's Pennine Way...
, a five mile (8 km) section of which traverses the estate.
The parklands familiar to visitors today were originally laid out by the 1st Marquess
Hariot Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava
Hariot Georgina Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava VA CI DBE was a British peeress, known for her success in the role of "diplomatic wife", and for leading an initiative to improve medical care for women in British India.-Biography:Born Hariot Georgina Rowan-Hamilton, she...
, who was also responsible for the addition of the banqueting hall to the house in 1898.
Flora & fauna
As a result of the work of the 1st Marquess, Clandeboye is home to the largest area of broad-leaved woodlandWoodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
in Northern Ireland, consisting mostly of 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...
, Birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, and Beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
. The estate is also home to a large variety of animal species; those recorded as present on the estate include the Osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
, Red Kite
Red Kite
The Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just...
, Tree Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is a passerine bird in the sparrow family with a rich chestnut crown and nape, and a black patch on each pure white cheek. The sexes are similarly plumaged, and young birds are a duller version of the adult...
, Barn Owl
Barn Owl
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
, Yellowhammer, Song Thrush
Song Thrush
The Song Thrush is a thrush that breeds across much of Eurasia. It is also known in English dialects as throstle or mavis. It has brown upperparts and black-spotted cream or buff underparts and has three recognised subspecies...
, Pipistrelle Bat, Red Squirrel, Fallow Deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, Common Newt
Newt
A newt is an aquatic amphibian of the family Salamandridae, although not all aquatic salamanders are considered newts. Newts are classified in the subfamily Pleurodelinae of the family Salamandridae, and are found in North America, Europe and Asia...
, Marsh Fritillary, and the Wall Brown Butterfly. The estate is home to the Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland. The grounds are tended by head gardener Fergus Thompson.
Commercial activities
Like many estates, Clandeboye has had to find ways of generating income in order to help with the running costs of the estate. Commercial activities undertaken include:- Conferences
- Corporate events
- Wedding receptions
- Accommodation rental
- Sawmill providing firewood and Christmas trees
- Garden mulch
- Dairy cattle
- Pottery
- Clandeboye, Helen's BayHelen's BayHelen's Bay is a village on the northern coast of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Ballygrot , between Holywood, Crawfordsburn and Bangor. It is served by a railway station and had a population of 1,362 in the 2001 Census...
and Blackwood golf courses - Shanks restaurant, formerly run by Robbie MillarRobbie MillarRobbie Millar was a chef and restaurateur from Ballycarry in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.Millar started his career at restaurants in Corfu, Zurich and London before returning to Northern Ireland to work in Paul Rankin's Roscoff restaurant in Belfast...