Garden vist to Montalto Estate on 10th June
Montalto, near Ballynahinch in Co. Down, is a beautiful privately-owned demesne which dates back to the early 1600s, with the mansion Montalto House built around 1765. The estate now opens as a private-hire venue for weddings and a wide range of corporate events.
Almost 50 IGPS members and guests met in the Stable Yard and we were treated to a wonderful guided tour around the extensive gardens by the Head Gardener, Peter Harris. When we arrived at the grand Montalto House, we had tea/coffee and homemade shortbread. Outside the house, there was a Formal Garden with beautiful views of the lake and boathouse. There was also a newly developed Winter Garden, Woodland trails with champion trees, an Orchard and a beautiful Walled Garden, with impressive herbaceous borders. Ruins of a building, which houses a rusty looking boiler, still exist at the bottom of the Cutting Garden, where once they grew pineapple for the gentry in the mansion. The weather was lovely for us and everyone had a very enjoyable afternoon.
Barbara Kelso
IGPS Northern
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