Belle Isle Castle

Last updated

Belle Isle Castle is an 18th-century house on Belle Isle, an island previously known, in Gaelic times, as Ballymacmanus Island or Senadh-Mic-Maghnusa or, simply, Senad. [1] [2] The Belle Isle Estate stretches over 470-acres near Lisbellaw in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. [3]

Contents

History

Belle Isle Castle originated as a house, first built and inhabited by Sir Ralph Gore, 4th Bt., in about 1700, after his grandfather Sir Paul Gore came into possession of Belle Island.[ citation needed ] Sir Ralph Gore's grandson, General The 1st Earl of Ross, was born in the house in 1725 and throughout his life further expanded it, adding cottages, a tower, and with the help of designer Thomas Wright, together created the magnificent garden that surrounds the estate and extends to the Lough Erne shore.[ citation needed ] Upon Lord Ross's death in 1801, the now expanded castle was left to his only surviving child, Lady Mary Hardinge, wife of Sir Richard Hardinge, 1st Baronet.[ citation needed ]

After Lady Hardinge's death in 1824, and her husband's death two years later, the estate was left to the nephew of Hardinge, The Rev. Sir Charles Hardinge, 2nd Baronet, of Tonbridge, Kent, whom deemed no interest in owning the castle.[ citation needed ] In 1830, he sold the estate for £68,000 to The Rev. John Grey Porter of Kilskeery, whose descendants owned the property up until 1991. During the ownership, the Porters worked to further expand the castle, adding various office wings and cottage houses.[ citation needed ] In 1991, Porter descendant Miss Lavinia Baird sold the estate to The 5th Duke of Abercorn, who purchased the estate for his youngest son, Lord Nicholas Hamilton.

In 1991, Belle Isle Castle was expanded and refurbished and is now a hotel and wedding venue. [3] The estate has welcomed the public since 1760 when it began hosting events.

The building

The castle contains a gallery, an overlook tower, a courtyard, and a grand banquet hall. It also has coach houses and cottages, now used as guest rooms.[ citation needed ] There are English and Irish furnishings, a grand fireplace, works by Russian, Irish and English painters, and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the garden, established in the 18th century.[ citation needed ]

Grounds

Situated behind the castle, the Belle Isle Cookery School opened in 2004. [4]

Also on the grounds are activities available to guests that include shooting, sailing, and hiking. [5]

Since 2018, pine martens were reintroduced, in order to aid with population control of the grey squirrel.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Fermanagh</span> County in Northern Ireland

County Fermanagh is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of six counties of Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Monaghan</span> County in Ireland

County Monaghan is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 65,288 according to the 2022 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basil Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough</span> Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from 1943 to 1963

Basil Stanlake Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough,, styled Sir Basil Brooke, 5th Baronet, between 1907 and 1952, and commonly referred to as Lord Brookeborough, was an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician who served as the third Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from May 1943, until March 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viscount Hardinge</span> Title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Viscount Hardinge, of Lahore and of Kings Newton in the County of Derby, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1846 for the soldier and Tory politician Sir Henry Hardinge. His son, the second Viscount, represented Downpatrick in Parliament. His great-great-grandson, the sixth Viscount, succeeded a distant relative as eighth Baronet, of Belle Isle in the County of Fermanagh, in 1986. This title had been created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom 1801 for Richard Hardinge. He was the third son of Nicolas Hardinge, younger brother of Reverend Henry Hardinge and uncle of the latter's third son Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge. The baronetcy was created with special remainder to the heirs male of Richard Hardinge's father.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookeborough</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

Brookeborough is a village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, at the westerly foot of Slieve Beagh. It lies about eleven miles east of Enniskillen, just off the A4 trunk road, and about five miles west of the County Tyrone boundary. It is situated in the civil parish of Aghavea and the historic barony of Magherastephana. It is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Coole</span> Historic mansion in Northern Ireland

Castle Coole is a townland and a late-18th-century neo-classical mansion situated in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Set in a 1,200-acre (490 ha) wooded estate, it is one of three properties owned and managed by the National Trust in County Fermanagh, the others being Florence Court and the Crom Estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence Court</span> Historic house in Northern Ireland

Florence Court is a large 18th-century house and estate located 8 miles south-west of Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is set in the foothills of Cuilcagh Mountain. The nearby village is distinguished by the one-word name Florencecourt. It is owned and managed by the National Trust and is the sister property of nearby Castle Coole. The other National Trust property in County Fermanagh is the Crom Estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glynn, County Antrim</span> Village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Glynn is a small village and civil parish in the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies a short distance south of Larne, on the shore of Larne Lough. As of the 2011 census, the Glynn ward had a population of 2,027 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pettigo</span> Village in County Donegal, Ireland and County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Pettigo, also spelt Pettigoe, is a small village and townland on the border of County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is bisected by the Termon River which is part of the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavehill</span> Hill overlooking the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland

Cave Hill or Cavehill is a rocky hill overlooking the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland,with a height of 368 metres (1,207 ft). It is marked by basalt cliffs and caves, and its distinguishing feature is 'Napoleon's Nose', a tall cliff resembling the profile of the emperor Napoleon. On top of this are the remains of an ancient promontory fort called McArt's Fort. Cavehill was also historically called 'Ben Madigan', after a king of Ulster called Madagán.

The Crom Estate is a nature reserve located in the south of County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, along the shores of Upper Lough Erne. It is one of three estates owned and managed by the National Trust in County Fermanagh, the others being Florence Court and Castle Coole mansions. The estate comprises 1,350 acres (5.5 km2), composed primarily of riparian forest. Some trees are so ancient that physical access is restricted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donegal Castle</span> Restored castle in County Donegal, Ireland

Donegal Castle is a castle situated in the centre of Donegal Town in County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. The castle was the stronghold of the O'Donnell clan, Lords of Tír Conaill and one of the most powerful Gaelic families in Ireland from the 5th to the 16th centuries. For most of the last two centuries, the majority of the buildings lay in ruins but the castle was almost fully restored in the early 1990s. It is now open to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lissadell House</span> Country house in County Sligo, Ireland

Lissadell House is a neo-classical Greek revivalist style country house in County Sligo, Ireland.

Sir Ralph Gore, 4th Baronet was a Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. He is now chiefly remembered for building Belle Isle Castle.

Crom Castle is a country house on the shores of Upper Lough Erne in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, the seat of the Earls Erne. Standing within the 1,900-acre (7.7 km2) Crom Estate, and within a formal garden, the castle is built in stone. A central battlemented tower includes the main entrance, and there are also smaller towers to one side. It stands apart from the ruins of Old Crom Castle, of which two towers, some walls, and a ha-ha survive, and near them two ancient yew trees, believed to be at least 800 years old.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Gore, 1st Earl of Ross</span> Anglo-Irish soldier and politician

General The Rt Hon. Ralph Gore, 1st Earl of Ross, known as Sir Ralph Gore, 6th Baronet, from 1746 until 1764, subsequently as The Baron Gore until 1768, and then as The Viscount Belleisle until 1772, was an Anglo-Irish soldier, politician and peer.

The High Sheriff of Fermanagh is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Fermanagh. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258. Besides his judicial importance, he has ceremonial and administrative functions and executes High Court Writs.

The High Sheriff of Tyrone is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Tyrone. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258. Besides his judicial importance, he has ceremonial and administrative functions and executes High Court Writs.

Blessingbourne House is a large Elizabethan style manor-house situated in parkland near Fivemiletown in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Arran (Ireland)</span> Title in the peerage of Ireland

Earl of Arran is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It is not to be confused with the title Earl of Arran in the Peerage of Scotland. The two titles refer to different places: the Aran Islands in Ireland, and the Isle of Arran in Scotland. The Irish earldom is held by the Gore family. The Scottish earldom is a separate title, held as a subsidiary title of the Duke of Hamilton.

References

  1. ↑ Robert Bell, The Book of Ulster Surnames, p. 175. The Blackstaff Press, Belfast, 1988 (2003 reprint).
  2. ↑ Brian G. Scott (General Editor), Claire Foley and Ronan McHugh, An Archaeological Survey of County Fermanagh: Volume I, Part 2 - The Early Christian and Medieval Periods, pp. 349 and 698. Northern Ireland Environment Agency (N.I.E.A.), Belfast, and Colourpoint Books, Newtownards, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Tours, Tenon. "Belle Isle Castle S/C". Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Belle Isle Cookery School". Archived from the original on 3 November 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  5. ↑ "Belle Isle". © Belle Isle 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.

54°16′04″N7°33′23″W / 54.2678°N 7.5564°W / 54.2678; -7.5564

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.