Lurgan Public Park
The demesne was bought by the Lurgan Real Property Company in the 1840s, which cut down most of the timber from the great Avenue planted during the Jacobean war, and gave it to the residents of Lurgan. The demesne was later sold to Lurgan Borough Council in 1893 for the princely sum of £2,000 and it was opened as a Public Park in July 1909 by Lord Aberdeen.
Lurgan Park is the second largest public park in Ireland, the biggest being Phoenix Park in Dublin, and is enjoyed by as many as 2000 people every day. The beautifully landscaped parkland contains a number of well maintained paths which provide an excellent walking and running facility for the town.
Lurgan Castle or Brownlow House
Lurgan Castle or Brownlow House, so named presumably after the Rt. Hon. Charles Brownlow, who built it in 1833 and was owned by the Brownlow family until the turn of the century. Changing fortunes resulted in the property being sold to the Lurgan Real Property Company Ltd. and subsequently the House and surrounding grounds were purchased on behalf of Lurgan Loyal Orange District Lodge.
Brownlow House, built in an age of grandeur and cultured tastes, is an imposing building. It has retained much of the atmosphere of bygone days and one can readily pause and still imagine what life was like when it was occupied as a dwelling. Situated within a few minutes walk from the centre of the town, the House is a prominent land mark with its lantern-shaped tower and forest of tall chimneys dominating the skyline. The building which is of Scottish sandstone was designed in the Eliza-bethan style by the famous Edinburgh Architect, William Henry Playfair and it was recently listed by the Department of Environment (NI) as being of special architectural and historical interest.
Park Opening
The main gates are open between 7:00am and 9:00pm, but best to avoid the dark. The free access to the park closes for a number of days through the year for main events e.g. the Agricultural Show and the Park Rally. See the following link for further details. Lurgan Park
The Cache
The cache has had to be down sized to a micro for the time being and is located in an open area with little cover to disrupt your GPSr, so co-ordinates should be very accurate. Please take great care retrieving and replacing the cache to avoid detection by muggles, and replace exactly as found.