The original building on Castle Archdale estate, and the one which gives it its name, was a Plantation castle built in 1615 for the English ‘undertaker’ planter, John Archdale from Suffolk, on land granted to him in 1612. An ‘undertaker’ planter was a landlord who was given a large estate of land at a low rent in exchange for an undertaking to settle ten English or Scottish families on each 1000 acres of land received.
The Castle was temporarily captured and badly damaged during the 1641 Irish Rebellion when Irish rebels attempted, unsuccessfully, to remove the Plantation settlers from Ireland. The Castle was recovered and repaired only to be finally burned and abandoned during the Williamite Wars of 1689. Little survives of the castle today. What is there is surrounded by thick forest plantation and is at the end of a long straight avenue of late 17th century or early 18th century trees – worth the walk in itself.
In 1773 Colonel Mervyn Archdale (great great grandson of John Archdale) built a period style manor-house to replace the Plantation castle.
Stones for the manor-house were (supposedly) taken for the old monastic ruins at Kiterney and tradition tells us that a curse was accordingly delivered upon the Archdales such that no heir would ever be born within the walls of this house. Whether due to the curse or for other reasons no heirs were ever born in this house.
The Archdales continued to live in the manor house until about 1942 when it, and indeed the whole estate, was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force. During the Second World War, the Castle Archdale estate was a major RAF base, housing up to 2,500 people. PBY Catalinas and Short Sunderlands flying boats flew from Castle Archdale to protect Atlantic shipping from German U-boats. The manor house became the officers’ mess, with the stables and other outbuildings used for administration purposes.
The RAF remained here until 1957 and the manor house was derelict by 1959 and was finally demolished in 1970 – for safety reasons. All that remains of the house now is its site, paved and ballustraded. The grand cobbled farm courtyard and former farm buildings and servants quarters remain well preserved behind it and today are the Visitors Centre for the Country Park, now managed by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
Railway buffs may be interested to know that Castle Archdale had it own private railway station which opened in 1886 and closed in 1950 – though there was some public access from 1934.
Visiting Today
The Visitors Centre has a small World War II exhibition which concentrates on the role of the flying boats during the war while the park itself has a number of marked woodland nature trails the longest of which will take you around an hour to walk. Keep an eye out for WWII artefacts as you walk around.
Sadly, due to Government funding cutbacks, the parks opening hours have been curtailed to former winter opening hours of 9am to 4.30pm (daily – year round) and the museum is also now open only on a Sunday between noon and 4pm (its former winter hours). If visiting post March 2017 please check hours with the Visitors Information Centre in Enniskillen as hopefully they will be extended again for the 2017 summer season.
Bicycle hire, boat hire and pony trekking are also possible from the marina/caravan park/camping area (Easter – September) which also has ample mooring for visiting boats. As (apart from catching the ferry to White Island from the marina) I did not examine this commercial part of the park – adequately secluded from the Visitors Centre and the remainder of the Park so as to in no way spoil them – I can’t comment on them though do suggest you visit this website, http://www.castlearchdale.com/, if interested in this aspect of the Park.
Something to eat – if you must
After a nice trip to White Island it was time for morning tea so we decided to try the Castle Archdale Tearooms, a few hundred metres from the marina in one of the old out-buildings, in the atmospheric courtyard of the former Castle Archdale manor house.
While we chose to sit inside in the country kitchen style dining area we could equally have sat out in the lovely courtyard, and would have done so had it been a little warmer.
So far so good.
We ordered two cappuccinos together with a homemade cherry scone and piece of apple-pie.
The coffees were poor – and tasted more like filtered coffee into which someone blew a few bubbles with a straw.
The scone accompanied by jam (a few choices were available) was stodgy and not all that palatable even when cream (which accompanied the apple pie) was applied. The apple pie itself was fine but unremarkable.
The whole lot was overpriced. 
The quality of the food relative to the price was perhaps what necessitated one having to pay prior to eating and the sign as depicted alongside. I can see why some would want to leave without paying their bill.
In addition to coffee, cakes and the like the café also serves lunches – the quality of which I cannot comment on having not partaken thereof. Everything is described as homemade.
Morning tea aside, all in all, a great spot to spend a few hours enjoying beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife and a lively history dating back to early Christian times if you throw in a visit to nearby White Island (as you should, indeed must). The tower – which greatly resembles a church tower – that you see as you enter the park is a rather later 19th century addition.
Assess to the White Island Monastic Site is via a ferry from the marina. This ferry operates hourly between 10am and 5pm from Easter to September. Given the restricted opening hours of the museum I have suggested in my review Take the Ferry to White Island that you do just that before exploring the park or visiting the courtyard and site of the former manor house to put the buildings/ estate into context as the ferryman is very knowledgeable in this regard – and, in particular, on Castle Archdale’s role in WWII.
Opening hours:
Country Park:
Year round – 9am – 4.30pm
Visitor Centre/ Museum:
Sundays only (year round) 12noon – 4pm
Tea-rooms
March to June and September – Easter and week-ends only 10am – 5pm
July and August – daily 10am – 5pm
Entrance fee: Free
Address: Lisnarick
Directions: About 13kms north of Enniskillen and close to the junction of the B72 and B82 roads.
Website: http://www.castlearchdale.com
This blog entry is one of a group (loop) of entries based on many trips to Enniskillen. I suggest you continue with my next entry – Necerne Castle – What’s on the Slab? – or to start the loop at the beginning go to my introductory entry – “Fare thee well Enniskillen, ………..”
The Rambling Wombat 