Helen’s Tower perched high above the rolling hills of Co Down, is an enchanting three storey stone tower nestled deep in the woods of the Clandeboye Estate. Standing on top of the world with panoramic views of the surrounding landscape, one can see as far as distant Scottish shores from the top of Helen’s Tower.
Built in 1848 by Frederick Lord Dufferin, 5th Baron of Dufferin and Ava in honour of his mother Helen Selina Blackwood, Helen’s Tower has since been immortalized by Tennyson in the poem of the same name. Designed by architect William Burn and constructed in 1848-1850 as a famine relief project, Helen’s Tower helped relieve unemployment at this time.
The tower has taken on an unforeseen poignancy, as an almost exact replica of it, the Ulster Tower, was built at Thiepval in 1921 to honour the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division who fell at the Battle of the Somme. Clandeboye Estate was used for army training during the First World War, and the 36th (Ulster) Division trained beside Helen’s Tower before leaving for France.
A Game Keepers Tower, the interiors and fittings of this building were unique to this period. An octagonal room on the third floor with its paneling throughout with poems engraved on metal plates are set into the walls.