Geograph - photograph every grid square

The following appeared on the official Gardens’ website on 11 July 2010 (although a bit out of date): “Castle Gardens is the most historic open space in Lisburn. It is the site of Lisburn castle, a 17th Century fortified manor house first built in the 1620's. The house was burnt down in the fire of 1707 and not rebuilt, but the fortified walls and garden terraces remain - although now in ruinous and overgrown condition.
The part of the gardens presently in public use dates from late Victorian times and contains several important scheduled historic monuments, including the 1677 red sandstone gateway, the Wallace drinking fountain and the memorial erected in 1891 to commemorate Lisburn's landlord and great benefactor, Sir Richard Wallace (1818 - 1890). The Gardens also provide a splendid setting for the town's memorial to the First and Second World Wars.
The restoration of Castle Gardens through extensive archaeological and engineering work is a key part of the Council's Development Strategy for Lisburn's Historic Quarter. An opportunity now exists through Heritage Lottery Funding, to make this a reality”.

This is a quotation from Lisburn City Council’s website (also on 11 July 2010): “The earlier part of the Gardens, the terraced gardens begun in the mid seventeenth century, will see a much more radical intervention, with the crumbling terrace walls being restored along with a perron, a grand double staircase used to descend from the upper part of the Gardens to the first terrace. The terraces will, when completed, be furnished with paths and plantings appropriate to the period”.

A selection of photographs showing some of the berries to be found on plants and hedges in Northern Ireland. Many are poisonous and should not be eaten. If in doubt – don’t.