Proud members of Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Parks team pictured with their winning plaque in Bangor Castle Walled Garden.

 Bangor Castle Walled Garden has been chosen as the Best Garden in Northern Ireland for the second year running by readers of Garden News Magazine.

Garden News organised a UK wide competition asking its readers to vote for their top 100 gardens. Winners were decided by public vote at both a local and national level with the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall taking the top spot across the UK.

The Walled Garden, designed by the Ward family in the 1840s, has become one of the borough’s top free visitor attractions. Throughout the years, the Council has carefully maintained and developed this beautiful space so that it can be enjoyed by all who visit.

The garden is divided into four sections by beautiful herbaceous borders and rose arches. It boasts two unique pieces of sculpture that are inspired by the borough’s maritime history and each section has its very own horticultural personality.

The Kitchen Garden produces an array of fruit and vegetables which can be purchased by visitors at the Saturday market in North Down Museum. Proceeds raised go towards the Mayor’s charities for the year - Air Ambulance NI, Bangor Sea Cadets, Decorum NI and Flourish NI.

The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Alderman Bill Keery, said:

“The Walled Garden is a past winner of the Royal Horticultural Society Award for Permanent Landscaping and it also won the 2018 Garden News Magazine Best Garden in Northern Ireland award. It’s a beautiful, tranquil space that can be enjoyed by all residents and visitors to our borough. The hard work carried out by members of the Council’s Parks team to keep it at such a high standard must be commended.”

To find out more about the Walled Garden and visitor opening times, visit www.visitardsandnorthdown.com.