Crossgar: Tobar Mhuire, Garden Culture and Shortcross Gin

If you are considering Crossgar as a travel destination, historic places and specific visitor experiences can help you get your bearings: Tobar Mhuire combines parkland, a garden and a walking trail; a memorial stone on the Square commemorates James Martin. The Rademon Estate Distillery’s Shortcross experience is another option. Which of these interests you most during your stay may influence your hotel choice and travel plans.

Tobar Mhuire: Parkland and Walking Trail

Crossgar House, also known as Tobar Mhuire, is a Grade A registered parkland dating from the Regency period. It covers 55 acres (22.3 hectares) and lies on the southeastern side of Crossgar village. On the Tobar Mhuire trail, follow the waymarkers in an anticlockwise direction. The three-kilometre walking and heritage trail combines exercise with historical points of interest.

A short detour offers a view of the original Crossgar House. From a seated viewpoint, you can look out towards the Mournes. Mary’s Well is designated as a holy well; the Irish name Tobar Mhuire means “Mary’s well”. These stops give the trail a cultural character that goes beyond a simple walk.

Walled Garden and Historic Buildings

Tobar Mhuire’s walled garden contains the Vinery Conservatory: a 145-foot (44-metre) greenhouse added around 1870. There is also a newly restored pond in the Walled Garden. You need permission from the Retreat Centre to visit the garden; check this requirement before you arrive. Permission applies to visiting the garden and does not automatically cover the entire Tobar Mhuire trail.

The buildings also tell the story of different periods in the area’s history. Tobar Mhuire’s gate lodge is a single-storey lodge dating from 1875. The original mansion of the Rademon Estate dates from 1667. The Rademon Estate can trace its history back to AD 565.

Tobar Mhuire offers private retreats for quiet, personal reflection in its guesthouse. This is a different focus from the site’s architectural and landscape features: visitors exploring Crossgar will find here not only a garden and trail but also a place that specifically offers private retreats.

Shortcross Gin and the Rademon Estate

The official distillery tour is a fully immersive guided tour of the gin distillation process. The Rademon Estate Distillery is located on Church Road, BT30 9HR. Wild botanicals are used to make Shortcross Gin, including wild clover, apple, elderflower and elderberries.

The Shortcross experience includes an informative tour of the copper stills, as well as explanations of how gin and Irish whiskey are made. It also includes tastings of neat gin and guidance on pouring a G&T. On the Shortcross Discovery experience, you seal a personalised bottle of gin with wax and take it home. The experiences described therefore focus on different aspects: knowledge of distillation, tasting and a handcrafted item to take away.

Commemorating James Martin

The James Martin Memorial Stone is located on the Square in Crossgar. James Martin co-founded the Martin-Baker Aircraft Company and invented the aircraft ejection seat. The memorial stone connects his life story to a specific place in the village and adds another local point of interest to its architectural and garden history.

When choosing a hotel, you can weigh up these different points of interest: Tobar Mhuire offers historic buildings, a waymarked trail and a garden visit that requires permission; the Shortcross experience focuses on gin-making and tasting. This lets you plan your trip around the specific things that interest you in Crossgar.

Discover more destinations: Bangor, Crawfordsburn, Downpatrick, Dundrum, Banbridge, Rathfriland, Conlig, Strangford

For the overall travel guide: Down.