Castle Ward

Imposing 18th-century mansion in County Down, Northern Ireland, 11 km/7 mi northeast of Downpatrick. Castle Ward was reputedly one of the first houses in Ireland to exemplify ‘the modern Gothic’. Standing on the southern shore of Strangford Lough, the house boasts an unusual compromise of west and east fronts in both classical and neo-Gothic styles. The estate includes a Victorian laundry and a wildfowl collection (the Strangford Lough Wildlife Centre), and was given to the National Trust by the Northern Ireland Government in 1953.