Kilbroney Park

The park was originally known as The Meadow and formed part of the large Ross Family estate in Rostrevor from the early 1700s – their house, known as The Lodge was built in 1716. One of the more famous members of that family was General Robert Ross, who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and was responsible for the burning of the White House in the War of 1812. The Ross family were responsible for planting many of the non-native trees that are still found in the area including redwood, Monterey pine, holm oak, ash, sycamore and cherry. The park was purchased by Colonel Roxburgh in 1850; William Makepeace Thackeray is thought to have visited at around this time and drawn…

Kilbroney Park is located off the A2 Shore Road, with a pedestrian entrance accessible by footpath from Rostrevor. The park has a children's play area, tennis courts, cafe and a tourist information point and is open from 9 am. These include wood avens, the hard shield fern, giant fir, eight monkey puzzle trees, twelve redwoods (planted by Canning between 1880 and 1890), toothwort, bird's nest orchids and wood fescue. Notable individual trees include a 500-year-old sessile oak, a 200-year-old Monterey pine and a 200-year-old Turkey oak, which is said to be the most photographed tree in the park.