A National Trust garden in Co Down has been singled out for its tranquillity and relaxing surroundings...
WE residents of Co Down often feel spoiled in terms of natural beauty and heritage, what with the Mournes, Strangford Lough, all those drumlins, plus the golden sands that stretch around the north-western shores of Dundrum Bay. We’ve also got the greatest concentration of acclaimed public gardens in Ireland – what other county could possibly match Mount Stewart, Hillsborough, the Aynsley Garden in Castewellan and Rowallane near Saintfield?
The latter has recently been named among the most peaceful of all National Trust properties, an accolade I fear may be used in a successful marketing campaign that will ironically rob the garden of one of its key selling points.
For the meantime, however, Rowallane remains what could be described as a prized under-utilised asset rather than a well-kept secret. It is, after all, located on the main road between Belfast and Downpatrick, and is well signposted, as well as being reasonably well publicised.
The survey on behalf of UK Sauna trawled thousands of TripAdvisor reviews of National Trust properties, and found that over one-fifth of Rowallane reviews mentioned the words “quiet”, “peaceful”, “relaxing”, or “tranquil”. As one researcher put it: “If you’re in search of tranquillity, Rowallane garden is the perfect place to visit.
“Featuring a walled garden reminiscent of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, Rowallane invokes a sense of serenity like few other estates.”
Carved into the north Down landscape and replete with rocky outcrops, Rowallane is a mix of wooded parkland with meadering trails and more formal gardens, where dedicated plantsmen and plantswomen will happily rub shoulders with non-gardeners enjoying a stroll and a quiet cup of tea. It was first established in the mid-1860s, when the Reverend John Moore acquired the property over successive years, naming it Rowallane after his ancestral family home in Scotland.
The grounds to the west of the house were laid out as open areas for pleasure, while those to the south and east continued to be farmed. Rev Moore also started the garden’s core design and architectural features, improving the modest farmhouse, constructing a walled garden and adding the stable yard. He died in 1903 leaving the property to his nephew Hugh Armytage Moore, who was responsible for creating the 52-acre garden we know today.
Coming under the patronage of the National Trust in 1955 and opened to the public the following year, it’s very much a garden for every season, with something in bloom throughout the year. As spring ebbs into summer wildflowers blossom under the canopy of rhododendrons. The garden spaces at Rowallane are home to magical features mingled with native and exotic plants, such as drifts of rare rhododendrons of every colour, Meconopsis, the Himalayan blue poppy, and magnificent magnolias. A sensory experience, Rowallane is not only filled with eye-catching colour at this time of year, but the air is filled with the sweet sound of birdsong and heady floral scents.
With two mobility scooters and accessible trails, indoor and outdoor play areas for kids, a second-hand bookshop, resident potter, and a café that offers wonderful homemade bakes, Rowallane Garden has something for every visitor, whether they are looking to spend time alone in nature or with friends and family. And as a dog-friendly property, with a dog exercise field on site, everyone is welcome at Rowallane, because everyone needs nature and deserves to find that moment of calm amidst the hum drum of daily life.
