Walled Garden Co Antrim at Glenarm Castle has won a major UK award

The award has been celebrating the finest historic parks and gardens across the UK since 1984, and this year crowned the first winner from Northern Ireland.

The walled garden at Glenarm Castle is 200 years old and has been attracting visitors to the coastal North Antrim village since 2005.

In a statement following the announcement, Glenarm Castle management said they were “delighted”.

“This is a historic win because it is the first time a garden from Northern Ireland has not only been shortlisted, but also won this prestigious national award in the UK, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

“The restoration and replanting of our 200-year-old walled garden has been a fantastic team effort with the help of garden designer Catherine Fitzgerald, renowned plant men Nigel Marshall and Neil Porteous and our dedicated gardeners, Jordan McWhirter and Ben Coulter.

“We’ve encountered some of the UK’s most beautiful gardens and we’re so grateful to everyone who voted for us, so thank you for your amazing support.”

The Co Antrim park beat off competition from some of Britain’s most famous parks, including Blair Castle, Dunvegan and Mount Stuart in Scotland and Hergest Croft and Scampston in England.

“It served as the estate’s business center in the 1800s, providing a constant supply of fruit, flowers and vegetables to feed the ‘big house’ and estate staff,” said estate manager Adrian Morrow.

“Today it represents one of the best preserved examples of a walled kitchen garden in the world.

“It served as the estate’s business center in the 1800s, providing a constant supply of fruit, flowers and vegetables to feed the ‘big house’ and estate staff,” he said.

“Today it represents one of the best preserved examples of a walled kitchen garden in the world.”

“It was constructed as part of a project by Anne Katherine, Countess of Antrim to renovate Glenarm Castle, with the assistance of the famous architect William Vitruvius Morison in the 1820s.

“Its original rectangular design, surrounded by solid stone walls, adds to its unique charm and functionality.”

Notable features include a distinctive sloped Victorian greenhouse measuring 56 metres, providing an ideal environment for various fruits and plants.

Mr. Morrow said the east-west design of the garden aims to increase the exposure of vegetables and fruits, such as pineapples, to sunlight.

“Historical features such as the 25-metre circular yew hedge and the sundial at its centre, give the garden a sense of timelessness,” Mr Morrow said.

“The beech circle with rectangular pond and fountain, together with Lord and Lady Antrim’s current redesign of the western part into six ornate garden rooms, show the development of the garden over the past few years.

“Gardens like this are not only a testament to the efforts of the past, but are also a source of inspiration for current and future generations of gardeners and nature lovers.”