Castle Ward

Castle Ward stands beside Strangford Lough in County Down, Northern Ireland. The 18th-century house overlooks the lough from its classical entrance front, while the opposite side shows Georgian Gothic battlements and pointed windows. A fortified tower house from 1610 sits in the farmyard, built by Nicholas Ward as a defensive lookout. The estate covers 332 hectares of gardens, a working corn mill, a saw mill, a Victorian laundry and a theatre. Strangford village lies 1.5 miles away and Downpatrick seven miles distant. The house reflects the tastes of Bernard Ward, first Viscount Bangor, and his wife Lady Ann Bligh. Their opposing styles divide the building down the centre, from the Palladian columns at the front to the Gothic windows at the back. The Ward family’s history appears in every room, from the 16th-century Old Castle Ward near the lough to the later mansion demolished in the 19th century. After years of neglect, the family restored the house before giving it to the National Trust in 1952. Visitors walk through landscaped gardens and along the lough shore. The estate’s corn mill still grinds grain, and the theatre hosts performances. The fortified tower house and the Victorian laundry remain as they were. The house’s divided architecture can be seen inside as well as out. The grounds also remember a 1973 incident during the Troubles. Winterfell from Game of Thrones was filmed here.