LOOKING ahead to the then imminent closure of Forthill Park in the centre of Enniskillen – now closed to the public until September for restoration works – The impartial Reporter popped around the corner from its offices recently to take a look at the historic ‘hidden jewel’ in the town.

With the advantage of Lockdown restrictions and a completely empty park at that moment, the park visit provided a perfect time to take a quick photographic survey of the park before the £210,000 refurbishment works that are now under way.

The works that are now under way until September will include conservation work on the striking Cole’s monument, that was first started in 1845 and completed in 1857.

Other works at the park will include the upgrading of paths and park furniture, and the installation of a ‘tree trail’, with the investment funded by the Landfill Communities Fund and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council set to restore the park and its various built and natural treasures to great condition.

During its visit, this paper was particularly interested to take a look at the most famous, and oldest by far, ‘citizen’ in the town – the Honourable Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole, a statue of whom stands atop Cole’s Monument as the focal point of the park.

While Sir Cole’s silhouette is well known and easily seen, far and wide, and with many generations of locals having gazed up at the statue, few have ever seen the statue up close.

Today, few also know the general state of the statue and the monument’s upper stonework, at present, which The Impartial Reporter was keen to see and share with our readers and the community, as we all look forward to the park’s reopening later this year.