Castle Ward

History

The house was built for Bernard Ward, later 1st Viscount Bangor. It is traditionally said to reflect a disagreement with his wife, Lady Ann Bligh, over architectural taste. Bernard favoured the fashionable classical style while Ann preferred Gothic, and the compromise left each side of the house built to a different design. The estate remained with the Ward family for generations before passing into public ownership.

Architecture

The entrance facade is classical in the Palladian manner, while the garden front facing Strangford Lough is Gothic, with pointed arches and fan vaulting inside the rooms on that side of the house. The result is one of the more unusual architectural pairings among country houses in the region.

Worth knowing

Parts of the estate were used as a filming location for the television series Game of Thrones, standing in for Winterfell. From 1985 to 2010 Castle Ward also hosted Castleward Opera, an annual summer opera festival held in the grounds.

Gardens & grounds

The grounds run to around 820 acres of landscaped parkland running down to the shore of Strangford Lough, taking in woodland, farmland and formal garden areas.