Castle Ward

Over het museum

Castle Ward lies on the shore of Strangford Lough in County Down. The Ward family, who came from Cheshire, settled here in the late sixteenth century, and around 1600 they built the tower house now known as Old Castle Ward. Over the next two centuries they expanded their land, built up business interests, and laid out gardens and landscapes. A series of terraces beside the tower house is the only surviving part of the earliest gardens.

The present mansion was begun in 1762 for Bernard Ward, later Viscount Bangor, and his wife Lady Anne. It is well known as a house of contrasts: the entrance front is classical and Palladian, while the rear is Gothic, with pointed windows and battlements. Tradition says this reflects a difference in taste between husband and wife, and the interiors follow the same split. Servants lived and worked in the laundry, dairy and stables, and at its peak the house gave employment to around forty staff.

The estate passed to the Government of Northern Ireland in 1950 in lieu of death duties and was given to the National Trust in 1952. Visitors can now tour the Georgian rooms and the servants' areas, walk through the sunken garden and the pleasure grounds, and follow trails round the demesne, which includes the ruined Audley's Castle. The farmyard became familiar to television audiences as a filming location for Winterfell in Game of Thrones.

Hoogtepunten

• Mansion with a classical Palladian front and a Gothic rear
• Georgian interiors with unusual objects such as the Kodiak bear and the boxing squirrels
• Servants' quarters: laundry, dairy and stables
• Sunken garden, Temple Water and pleasure grounds
• Farmyard used as Winterfell in Game of Thrones
• Miles of estate trails, Audley's Castle and adventure play parks

Vaste collectie

• The mansion – Georgian rooms with classical and Gothic interiors, plus the servants' quarters, laundry, dairy and stables.
• Garden and pleasure grounds – A sunken garden restored from an 1864 painting by Mary Ward, with historic pleasure grounds and Temple Water.
• Estate trails – Trails for walkers, cyclists and riders through woodland and along the lough shore, with views of Audley's Castle.

Opgericht

1760

Beheerder

National Trust

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices are standard admission without Gift Aid (valid from 1 March 2026); tickets with Gift Aid cost about 10 per cent more (adult £16.50, child £8.30, family £41.30). Off-peak prices apply on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on days when the house is closed to visitors, and during the seasonal house closure from November to March. In autumn 2026 the house is closed on Tuesdays only and opens on Wednesdays for guided tours. Entry is free for National Trust members.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

Wheelchairs and a powered mobility vehicle are available, together with sensory backpacks, and the property has an accessible route map and accessible toilets. There are steps and uneven ground in places, and the AccessAble guide gives a full access overview. Blue Badge parking is available. Visitors with specific requirements are invited to email or phone the property in advance.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Speeltuin / speelhoek

Woodland and adventure play parks are open daily. Explorer bags with toys, books and activities and calm bags with fidget toys can be borrowed from Reception, and children's and family bikes can be hired. Seasonal trails are held in school holidays, and under-5s enter free.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Castle Ward is 7 miles north-east of Downpatrick and 1 mile from Strangford on the A25. Use the postcode BT30 7BA and follow the signs for Castle Ward only; the property cannot be reached via the Audleystown road.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel

Stableyard tea-room serving hot and cold food and drinks (dogs welcome), a gift shop in the stableyard and a second-hand bookshop. Bikes can be hired from Reception.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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