Gosford Forest Park is a forest park located outside

Markethill Markethill () is a village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is beside Gosford Forest Park. It had a population of 1,647 people in the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census. This article contains quotations from this source, which is avail ...

County Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ha ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. The park, previously Gosford Demesne, was acquired by the Department of Agriculture in 1958 and comprises some 240 hectares of diverse woodland and open parkland. Gosford Forest Park is also home to

Gosford Castle Gosford Castle is a 19th-century country house situated in Gosford, a townland of Markethill, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It was built for Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford, and designed in the Norman revival style by London architect ...

. It was designated the first conservation forest in Northern Ireland in 1986.

Facilities

Facilities available include: * Camping and Caravanning Site (with mains electricity) * Picnic and Barbecue areas * Tea House and Shop * Way-marked Trails * Horse-riding routes * Orienteering routes * Disabled facilities * Bookable Guided Tours * Special events (arranged by permit) * Function Hall

History

In the early 17th century the Acheson family came to the Markethill area, and built a very substantial farmhouse near the present town of Markethill. The family came from Monmouthshire and, in fact, the present Earl of Weymes is related to the Achesons who later became the Earls of Gosford. When they came here first they brought with them 13 families, and some of the family names still survive in the area, notably Galbraith, Greer, etc. One of the two forts (or raths) in Gosford Forest was named after the Greer family who farmed the land in that area. The first dwelling place of the Achesons was burned down; this house was near the town of Markethill which the family were responsible for founding. In 1610 the family were granted the lands of the present estate. They proceeded to build another house using locally procured, hand-made, red brick. This house was named Clonkearney Manor after the townland in which it was built. The path to this site is up near the ponds, but unfortunately only a portion of the red brick foundations is now visible. This house was reputed to have been burned down during the Williamite wars in the mid-17th century. The estate is now owned by the Forest Service and boasts excellent facilities and a cafe. It also houses one of Northern Ireland's premier collections of rare breeds. Gosford Castle has just been renovated into 23 new homes which are currently being sold. In 1989, Gosford Forest Park hosted the

Irish Scout Jamboree Scouting in Ireland has hosted many Jamboree (Scouting), jamborees and jamborettes since Scouting started there in 1908. List Cancelled jamborees * 2001: ''Causeway 2001'' was planned by The Scout Association to be held in Co. Antrim. It was ...

, "Gosford '89", which was attended by over 3,000 scouts from around the world, including contingents from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

References

External links

History of Gosford Castle with Pictures
{{Forests and woodlands of Northern Ireland Forests and woodlands of Northern Ireland Parks in County Armagh