Erecta
Aurea
A
short walk though Rowallane Gardens to get this cache. Please take
your time to admire the less visited Pleasure Ground. There are
some lovely trees here and why not when you are here try
Rowallane's Treasure wherigo cache. Parking is not a problem as
there is plenty of space in the main car park. This cache has been
placed with the kind permission of the National Trust. Normal
Admission fees apply.
Rowallane (which means Beautiful clearing) is a 52
acre demesne near the old linen town of Saintfield and was first
enhanced by the Rev John Moore. He acquired Rowallane as a farm in
1860 and gradually enlarged the farmhouse, added the walled garden,
a stable block and planted the "Pleasure Grounds". He was
responsible for the curious stone cairns like pyramids of Ferrer
Rocher.
In 1903 it was bequeathed to his nephew, Hugh Armytage Moore, who
was the man responsible for creating the gardens as we know them
today. With his rare gift for planning and great eye for plants, he
developed Rowallane using many of the novel plants of his day. He
developed a number of his own hybrids and was awarded the Victoria
Medal of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society in 1942 for his
work.
Hugh Armytage Moore planted the collection of rhododendrons,
magnolias and flowering shrubs: this is gardening with nature on a
grand scale, shrubs and trees along informal paths in an area known
as the Spring Ground. Each area in the wild garden is linked by
grassy paths and has its own special atmosphere: there is the
mysterious Bishop’s Rock, and the Hospital, where sick calves
were grazed.
The modest farmhouse stands beside the lawns and the arboretum
containing the stone dais (from which the Rev. Moore is believed to
have addressed his parishioners) which is now the base of a
bandstand is surrounded by many fine specimen trees planted by him.
There isalso
a wild flower meadow and a lake waiting to be discovered.
An octagonal bronze sun dial, located between the house and the
walled garden,
bears the Moore family crest (the profile of a moor's head)
encircled by a ribbon inscribed with their motto "VIRTUTIS
AMORE" a quotation from Horace translated as -through love
to virtue.
The garden is famous for its magnificent display of Rhododendrons
and Azaleas but there is much more.
In 1955 the National Trust took over the running of the Rowallane
gardens, which are still maintained much as they were in Armytage
Moore's time. The house is now the headquarters of the National
Trust in Northern Ireland.
Opening Times
Jan – Feb, Nov - Dec
10am – 4pm
(Closed 1 Jan,
25 & 26 Dec)
Mar – April, Sept – Oct 10am –
6pm
May – Aug
10am – 8pm
Last admission 30 minutes before closing
NORMAL ADMISSION CHARGES APPLY
(free to National Trust Members)
Gift Shop and Tea Room
Open daily in spring and summer, Thursday to Sunday in
winter.