Gosford Forest Park lies near Markethill, seven miles southeast of the city of
Armagh.
The park comprises
240 hectares of serene parkland and woodland and has associations with Jonathan
Swift, who made references to it in his poems. There are many scenic walking trails,
one of which leads past the Dean's Chair, where Swift is believed to have composed
some of his verse. The early 19th century beautiful walled garden has an adjacent
arboretum containing a
variety of tree specimens from all over the world. The park also contains many
rare breeds of animals, and one of the largest collections of traditional breeds
of poultry in Ireland. Visitors can observe the animals in open paddocks, and
there is a deer park as well.
Gosford Castle was
the former seat of the Earl of Gosford, but the original building was destroyed
in a fire. Today the grounds surround a castle built in Norman Revival style,
which dates from 1819 and was designed by Thomas Hopper. From the outside the
battlements are an impressive sight, although the castle is not open to the public.
The forest park contains picnic areas, and there are facilities for camping. There
are also waymarked trails for horse riding.
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