After almost 500 years in private hands, an ancient woodland in County Down is welcoming public visitors.
Mourne Park was bought by the Woodland Trust last year, becoming the charity’s biggest acquisition in Northern Ireland.
The site was originally part of a larger estate granted to the 16th Century English soldier Sir Nicholas Bagnall, who was then Marshall of the Army in Ireland.
The trust bought 156 hectares of Mourne Park in May 2021 and began conserving its native trees and creating new walking trails
The woodland, which the trust describes as an “extremely rare and ancient wildlife haven”, opened to the public on 1 August.
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