Historic Grounds to Future Park

This historic estate grounds is located ideally to serve the community of Ballyforan and was once an important component of the village make up. With the abandoning of Claremont House in the 1950’s, the house and grounds were gifted to the local authority. Certain areas of land have been sold off with the remaining ground being rented out for cattle grazing. A lack of maintenance over the decades has seen the grounds deteriorate with paths and roads grown over, the extent of historic tree lines reduced, the orchard trees removed and structures on site falling into ruin. Enough information and traces exist, however, to imagine what the grounds might have looked like in their heyday and how they might be in the future.

Claremont House, abandoned in the 1950s, was gifted to the local authority, with some land sold off. The remaining grounds were used for cattle grazing but lack of maintenance led to deterioration. Paths and roads are overgrown, historic tree lines diminished, orchard trees removed and structures fallen into ruin. Despite this, remnants offer glimpses of its past and potential future restoration.

To meet the current and future needs of the community ACT added new layers to the existing historic fabric. These layers provide places for recreation, food production, sport, play, places to stay and areas for nature adding to the climate resilience of the village.