Glenarm Castle walled garden in bid for UK-wide Historic Houses' Garden of the Year title

The famous Co Antrim attraction has just been shortlisted for the Historic Houses’ Garden of the Year Award, sponsored by Christie’s auction house.

It’s the first time a garden from Northern Ireland is in the running for the prestigious prize, which has been celebrating the finest historic parks and gardens

across the UK since 1984.

For Glenarm Castle, being one of the top six horticultural contenders in the UK is a huge accolade and members of the public have been urged to cast their vote to hopefully bring the coveted prize to Northern Ireland.

This 200-year-old marvel has been charming visitors to the Co Antrim coastal village since 2005.

Estate manager, Adrian Morrow, described the garden, which hosts a popular annual tulip festival every May, as “a snapshot of horticultural history”.

"It served as the working hub of the property in the nineteenth century, providing a continuous supply of fruit, flowers and vegetables to feed the ‘big house’ and estate staff,” said Mr Morrow. “Today, it represents one of the best-preserved examples of a walled kitchen garden in the world.

"It was constructed as part of Anne Catherine, Countess of Antrim’s undertaking to revamp Glenarm Castle, with the help of the renowned architect William Vitruvius Morrison in the 1820s. Its original rectangular layout, enclosed by sturdy stone walls, adds to its unique charm and functionality."

Mr Morrow urged people from far and wide to help Glenarm Castle’s walled garden clinch the prestigious award.

"Voting is free and open to the public so we would urge all of Northern Ireland to get behind us and help us bring home this highly coveted title.”

Voting at www.historichouses.org is open until the end of August with the winner announced a short time later.

Notable features include a distinctive 56-metre sloping Victorian glasshouse providing an ideal environment for various fruits and plants.

Mr Morrow said the garden’s east-to-west design was aimed at maximizing sun exposure for vegetables and fruit including exotic varieties, such as pineapples.

“Historical features like the 25-metre circular yew hedge with a sundial at its centre, gives the garden a sense of timelessness,” said Mr Morrow. “The beech circle with a rectangular pool and fountain, along with the present Lord and Lady Antrim’s redesign of the western part into six ornamental garden ‘rooms’, showcases the evolution of the gardenover the past few years.”

He added: “Gardens like this are not only a testament to the efforts of the past, but also a source of inspiration for the present and future generations of gardeners and nature enthusiasts.”

This year’s shortlist also comprises Blair Castle, Dunvegan and Mount Stuart in Scotland and Hergest Croft and Scampston in England.

Ben Cowell, director general at Historic Houses, said the award showcases the very best in gardening talent across the UK.

“These represent some of the UK’s very finest gardens - and we can’t wait for the votes to start rolling in,” he said. Voting at open until the end of August with the winner announced a short time later.