FORTHILL Park in Enniskillen is to close for four months to allow for a £210,000 investment programme to refurbish the popular, historic park.

This new investment is funded by the Landfill Communities Fund and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, with works to include significant conservation of Cole’s Monument, one of the most prominent landmarks of Enniskillen’s skyline.

Conservation, restoration and repairs will be made to the stonework and viewing platform, and the statue, sitting atop a 30-metre Doric column, will be cleaned.

Pathways and park furniture will be upgraded, which will see reclaimed street furniture and granite kerbstones from the ongoing Enniskillen Public Realm scheme installed in the park as part of the Council’s commitment to environmental sustainability.

A tree trail, to help people discover and explore the history and biodiversity of Forthill, will be developed while interpretative signage explaining the history of Enniskillen’s own secret Victorian garden will also be installed.

Improvement works will begin on April 12 and are expected to be completed in September. The park will be closed to the public during this time to facilitate the programme of improvement works.

Welcoming the improvement works, the Chair of the Council, Councillor Diana Armstrong, said: “Forthill Park is a unique heritage landscape and one of Enniskillen’s hidden jewels.

"For a number of years, the Council has used it to host a number of family events at Easter and in the summer as well as guided tours and biodiversity education activities.

"Following the completion of works the Council plans to develop this programme of events and activities at Forthill Park to encourage more people to get outdoors and visit, experience and enjoy this much overlooked gem right in the heart of Enniskillen.”

The Forthill Pleasure Grounds were laid out for the second time almost 130 years ago. The Pleasure Grounds, planned by Victorian visionary Thomas Plunkett, opened in 1892 with enhanced promenades, open spaces, and planting of an earlier park.

The park includes two high-quality memorials; Cole’s Monument and Plunkett’s Bandstand.

The bandstand was erected in 1895 in recognition of the work of Plunkett, who served for many years on the Enniskillen Board of Guardians and the Town Commissioners, and was responsible for many improvements in Enniskillen including the redevelopment of the Forthill Pleasure Grounds.

The improvement works to Forthill Park have been made possible with £140,000 from the Landfill Communities Fund and £70,000 from Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

The Council is receiving conservation architecture advice from Consarc, with JPM appointed as contractor.