Gosford Castle is situated in Gosford, a townland of Markethill, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, close to the border with County Down. Construction of the castle began in 1819 and finished in the 1850s. It was commissioned by Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford and the architect was Thomas Hopper, one of the leading London architects of the first half of the 19th century. The Ministry of Agriculture bought the estate in 1958, establishing Gosford Forest Park and in January 2006 the largest Grade A listed building in Northern Ireland, which is in urgent need of conservation,
Gosford Castle is situated in Gosford, a townland of Markethill, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, close to the border with County Down. Construction of the castle began in 1819 and finished in the 1850s. It was commissioned by Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford and the architect was Thomas Hopper, one of the leading London architects of the first half of the 19th century. The Ministry of Agriculture bought the estate in 1958, establishing Gosford Forest Park and in January 2006 the largest Grade A listed building in Northern Ireland, which is in urgent need of conservation, was bought by a development company which planned to turn it into private homes. In January 2008 the first residents of the 23 apartments moved in.
The estimated £4m repair bill was footed by Gosford Castle Developments, chosen by a government-appointed panel.
The style of Gosford is that of Norman revival, it being one of the few examples of this in the world. It was regarded by Robin Fredden, Secretary of the National Trust in 1952 as "one of the most original buildings of the first half of the nineteenth century", he further noted that it was "reputed to be the largest pile in Ireland", having some 150 rooms. Hopper, the architect, also designed Penrhyn Castle, which is in a similar style.
The 4th Earl was forced to sell the Castle's contents in 1921 and, during the Second World War, it was commandeered and used as prisoner-of-war camp. Following the War the Gosfords sold the estate and, eventually, it was acquired by the Forestry Commission. It was, for periods, occupied as a hotel, barracks and restaurant.
The park was the site of an Irish Scout Jamboree in 1989. Gosford '89 was attended by over 3000 scouts from around the world including contingents from Canada, Japan and America. The Camp Chief was Wilson Lambe and the Co-ordinator was Mark Larmour.
There were six subcamps as well as a Staff subcamp.
A reunion for those involved in Gosford 89 was held at the Armagh City Hotel on Friday 28 August 2008. The event was organised by Jack Campbell and Aubrene Willis and attended by over 50 people. Camp Chief Wilson Lambe spoke at the reunion. A facebook page (link below) has also been established to allow those who attended to meet again through the Internet.
