Antrim Castle Gardens

Antrim Castle Gardens are a beautifully restored 17th-century estate on the edge of the market town of Antrim, just a short walk from the shores of Lough Neagh. The gardens were laid out in the formal Anglo-Dutch style fashionable in the late 1600s, featuring a long ornamental canal, parterres, clipped hedges, a round pond and avenues of mature lime trees. They are considered one of the finest surviving examples of this design tradition in Ireland.

Although the main Antrim Castle was destroyed by fire in 1922, the grounds have been carefully preserved and progressively restored, and the elegant Clotworthy House (the former coach house and stables) now serves as an arts centre and visitor hub. Highlights for visitors include the Parterre Garden, the Anglo-Dutch Garden with its formal canal, the Wilderness, the Yew Pond and a striking 17th-century motte that offers wide views across the estate.

The gardens host a busy programme of events through the year, from the Garden Show Ireland to outdoor theatre and family trails. There is a café, gallery space and gift shop within Clotworthy House, and the riverside path along the Sixmilewater leads down to Lough Neagh, linking the gardens to the wider lough-shore walks.