National Trust Acquires Mount Stewart Estate

The National Trust has unveiled plans to unite Mount Stewart house and gardens. The proposals will see the area the charity looks after increase from 100 acres, to 1000 acres.

It will reunite the house with its demesne, and will open up around 20 miles of walking trails, as well as the restoration of Georgian buildings on the estate.

The £4m investment from the National Trust comes as a £7.5m project to restore the historic Mount Stewart house enters its final stages.

Confirming the investment, Jon Kerr, National Trust Manager at Mount Stewart, said: "This year as we celebrate the completion of the house restoration project at Mount Stewart, we will begin another new chapter in its history as we reunite the house and garden with its historic demesne.

"With a story dating back hundreds of years, the landscape will now extend beyond the house and garden on the shores of Strangford Lough to include the surrounding 1,000 acres of rolling parkland and woodland which make up the demesne.

"In time, visitors will be able to explore extensive woodland, previously unseen walled gardens, farmland and a range of historic monuments and buildings.

"Combined with a newly restored house and one of the top gardens in the world – in years to come this will create a destination which offers a fascinating insight in to the stories of the Stewart family.

"I really believe that Mount Stewart is an extraordinary place, and it deserves to be safeguarded and protected for many generations to come."

Heather Thompson, Director for the National Trust in Northern Ireland, added: "This is a really special opportunity to open up access to a truly beautiful part of our countryside. Looking after the wider demesne will require a huge amount of work and we will be developing a range of plans over the next few years, in preparation for opening this amazing landscape to our members, supporters and visitors."

(JP/MH)