'Tir N'an Og' burial ground

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Decorative burial ground of the Stewart (Londonderry) family, set on a wooded hillside overlooking an artificial lake, laid out in the 1930s and bounded with corner turrets, a squat square tower and arched gateways all in an Italianate/folly style. The plot is located within the Mount Stewart estate, roughly one quarter of a mile to the north of Mount Stewart house itself.

The burial plot itself is roughly square and resembles a garden with stone paths arranged in a Celtic cross plan, with a small stone pedestal at the centre.

There are three grave slabs on the S side of the plot. There is a low stone wall with clay urns to the S edge of the plot, with squat stone built corner turrets with slate covered conical roofs and door and window openings.

To the E and W sides are tall hedges; in the centre of each is a stone built arched gateway with small wall attached to the outer sides of each gate post. On the inner sides of these walls are large arched niches, three of which contain statues of Irish saints. Decorative wrought iron gates within each arch.

The tall hedge continues around the N side. In the centre of the N side is a squat, stone built two level tower with round buttresses at each corner, each of which rises to a pinnacle, and a slated hipped roof. To the N and S sides of the ground level are arched openings which lead through the tower into the burial ground proper. On the E side of the tower is a flight of stone steps which lead to a doorway at the upper level On the S side of the upper level are three window openings.

Historical information

‘Tir Nan Oge’ ('Land of the forever young') was built by Lady Edith Londonderry in the early 1930s and is now the final resting place of herself , the 7th Marquess and their daughter, Lady Margaret Stewart. It was acquired by the National Trust in 1986.

For the history of the Mount Stewart estate and the Londonderry's see HB24/4/52A

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.654 Londonderry Papers. [The
references concerning Mount Stewart within this archive are numerous, however of particular interest are sections D.654/H1/1-7 (estate accounts 1781-1864), H/2/1-8 (estate ledgers 1781-1864) and M71 (estate maps). Section N2/24 also contains letters written by the 3rd Marquesses agent, John Andrews, concerning the demesne).
2 PRONI D.2846 The Theresa, Lady Londonderry Papers. [Document D.3084/C/1/1 written in March 1913 concerns ‘the garden at Mount Stewart’.]
3 PRONI D.3030 Castlereagh Papers
4 PRONI D.3099 Londonderry Papers
5 PRONI D.4108 Salter’s Company Estate Records. [This collection, though it concerns lands in Co. Londonderry, contains many letters (section D.4108/1) written by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Marquesses of Londonderry, some of which may concern the enlargement/rebuilding of Mount Stewart.]
6 Walter Harris 'A Topographical and Chorographical Survey of Co. Down' (Dublin, 1740), p.27
7 'Taylor’s & Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland' (Dublin, 1777)
8 Arthur Young 'A Tour of Ireland 1776-79' (London, 1780- reprinted Dublin 1925), p.47
9 W. Wilson 'The post-chaise companion or traveller’s directory through Ireland' (Dublin, 1786), pp.16, 488
10 PRONI D.591/237 Drennan Letters. [A description of Mount Stewart in 1787 written by Drennan’s sister, Mrs Martha McTier.]
11 George Hardinge MS. notes of a tour, Collection of Major Shirley, Lough Fea, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, 1792
12 A. Atkinson 'Ireland exhibited to England', Vol.I, (London, 1823), pp.222-229
13 'Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II', ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991), pp.69-70 [1834]
14 VAL/1B/33 First valuation, Greyabbey, c.1834-38
15 PRONI OS/6/3/11/1 OS maps, Down 11, 1834
16 Samuel Lewis 'A topographical dictionary of Ireland' (1837)
17 Mr. & Mrs. S.C. Hall 'Ireland its scenery and character' (London, 1843), pp.14-15
18 PRONI 'Parliamentary gazetteer of Ireland' Vol.2 (1844-45)
19 J.B. Doyle 'A tour in Ireland' (Dublin, 1854), p.91
20 Durham County Record Office D/Lo/C/543. [This collection contains letters dating between July 1854 and March 1855 from the 4th Marquess to his step-mother Frances Vane-Tempest, in which he describes the poor state he found Mount Stewart upon his inheritance of the property in 1854.]
21 PRONI VAL/2B/3/4 Second valuation, Greyabbey, c.1859
22 PRONI VAL/12B/23/16a-f Annual valuation revision books, 1866-1930
23 ‘Account of an excursion to Mount Stewart’ Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club Report, (1872), pp.8-25
24 ‘Account of an excursion to Mount Stewart’ Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club Proceedings, Series II, Vol.VII, pt.IV, (1917), pp.273-288. See also Vol.VIII, pt.IX, pp.411-18 (1926-7), Vol.IX, pt.I, pp.5-14 (1928-9), pt.IV, 139-150 (1931-2).
25 The Marchioness of Londonderry 'Mount Stewart' (c.1956) [This book is a guide to the gardens at Mount Stewart, written by their creator, Edith, Lady Londonderry on the occasion of a section of the gardens being handed over to the National Trust.]

Secondary sources
1 G.C. Taylor "Mount Stewart County Down I & II" in 'Country Life', Vol.LXXVIII, No.2020, 5 & 12 October 1935
2 'Archaeological Survey of County Down' (Belfast, 1966), pp.374-376
3 PRONI D.3084/C The H. Montgomery Hyde Papers
4 Gervase Jackson-Stops "Mount Stewart Co. Down Parts 1 & 2" in 'Country Life', 6 & 13 March 1980
5 H. Montgomery Hyde 'The Londonderrys' (London, 1979)
6 Patrick Bowe ‘Some Irish landscape gardeners’ National Trust Studies (1981)
7 'Mount Stewart' (National Trust, 1986)
8 Patrick Bowe 'The gardens of Ireland', pp.163-73
9 Margaret Wiles "The animals went in two by two…" in 'The National Trust Magazine' Spring 1989, pp.27-30
10 Anne Casement 'Mount Stewart landscape study' (National Trust Northern Ireland Region, 1995)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Z. Rarity
W. Northern Ireland/International Interest

Evaluation

Decorative burial ground of the Stewart (Londonderry) family, set on a wooded hillside overlooking an artificial lake, laid out in the 1930s and bounded with corner turrets, a squat square tower, and arched gateways all in an Italianate/folly style.