It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Rowallane Garden, Saintfield.

It’s all go as the Christmas trees arrive and we hunt out the decorations, whilst untangling the fairy lights, in preparation for our festive fun which commences this weekend. We’ve even had a visit from Santa and his reindeers, Trixie and Pixie this week to start off the holiday season.

Our café is the place to be every weekend from 21 November to 6 December 12-2:30pm where you can sit beside the open fire and deck out your gingerbread man by helping to dress them using your awesome decorating skills.

What’s better at Christmas than popcorn and a festive family film? Wrap up warm and grab a hot chocolate or tasty treat and sit back and enjoy a festive film beginning on Saturday 21 November at 11am in The Barn. We will be running these every weekend through November and the films are as follows.

Saturday 21 November 11am – Elf
Saturday 21 November 2pm – Polar Express

Sunday 22 November 2pm – The Grinch

Saturday 28 November 11am – The Grinch
Saturday 28 November 2pm – Elf

Sunday November 2pm – Polar Express

Please note our barn has limited capacity and space is available on a first come first served basis.

From mid-November drop in every weekday and watch the Gardening team make wreaths and floral art in preparation for our Yuletide Market event on Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 December from 12-5pm. At this popular event soak up the Christmas atmosphere with Christmas carols, mulled punch and don’t forget to meet Santa and Pixie and Trixie our NI Reindeer.

Normal Admission and National Trust Members free apply. For further information over the Christmas period please visit us at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/rowallane-garden or call 028 97510131 and follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nationaltrustbelfast

As part of this year’s Saintfield Christmas Fair Rowallane Community Hub will be hosting a Christmas Market

A Jewel In Saintfield’s Crown

Many of us in Saintfield know Rowallane Garden very well, and delight in the wonderful woods and gardens a short walk from the Main Street. Some of us perhaps forget what is on our doorstep – or we are so familiar with it that we don’t think about it! It is timely however to remind ourselves how lucky we are to have such an important National Trust property in our village. Bushmills may have the Giant’s Causeway pretty close, but Rowallane is only a short walk from Main Street!

SDA and the National Trust, working together

Saintfield village and Rowallane have a lot in common. Saintfield is an historic village, playing an important role in the events of 1798, and well-known for its Georgian buildings and the Main Street with its conservation area status. Rowallane Gardens boasts a Victorian walled garden, courtyard and bell-tower which form popular wedding venues, and unique features such as a bandstand and a water pump! Oh, an a unique collection of plants from around the world from the 19th century period of discovery!
Meeting recently with the SDA, NT Greater Belfast Area Manager Mike Dobson and Head Gardener Averil Milligan made clear their on-going commitment to working with the local community for the mutual benefit of the village and the NT. We look forward to continued engagement with our colleagues in the Garden.

A rich and diverse location

Famous in its own right for the gardens – featured in season one of the Game of Throne TV series as the “Godswood” – Rowallane regularly hosts a wide range of events for the family. The Halloween events have just taken place and staff are now preparing for the “Festive Family Film Fun” events on the 21st, 22nd 28th and 29th of November – and of course the annual Christmas Yuletide Market on the 12th and 13th of December.

See something new….every time

The Garden changes continually, and there is always much to see as the trees and borders shift through the seasons. Head Gardener Averil Milligan points to the new paths through the estate, and the funky new pieces of sculpture and art installations in the area between the lake and the bandstand – look out for the Leaf Chair, designed by local students.
All in all, worth seeing, and worth going to see!

This is a selection of photographs taken in Rowallane.

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The third annual Harfest Music Festival will take place at numerous venues around Saintfield over the weekend of Friday 23rd – Sun 25th October.

There will be something to suit every taste in Music!

Download the Harfest flyer HERE.  Choose an event or two, or three!  And come along!

The Saintfield In Bloom 365 Committee of Saintfield Development Association would like to thank the businesses, traders and individuals who participated in this year’s Translink Ulster in Bloom initiative.  Their support enabled us to produce a display which earned Saintfield joint second place in the large village category of the competiton.

The judges thought that “the colour-scheme was beautiful” and that “the place looked lovely”.

Saintfield also won first prize in the large village category of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s Cleaner and Greener Rural Community Awards. This competition is aimed at rural communities and the prize is awarded to the town or village which can demonstrate an on-going commitment to keeping their area clean and tidy and protecting the rural landscape.

We appreciate the contribution that everyone has made to Saintfield’s success in these two prestigious province-wide competitions.  Thank you again for your continued support.

Here is a selection of photographs of the beautiful floral displays on view in Saintfield this year.