Regeneration
Sammy Leslie, like her father Desmond, had always passionately wanted to make the estate a viable business proposition in itself. Known as “the last of the Jeromes” (wife of Lord Randolph Churchill) as a child, it was obvious that she had inherited many of her ancestor’s traits including tenacity, wit and refusal to give in. This stubborn streak and the belief 'there is always an answer, you just have to find it', is what still drives Sammy today.
When peace finally came to Northern Ireland with the Good Friday Agreement, the Leslies were able to restore the fortunes of the estate, slowly but surely to its former glory. Sammy has Iroquois Red Indian relatives and like them, feels that it is about guardianship of the land – rather than an ownership - protecting it for the future generations hence the estate has now been put in a Trust.
In June 2002, Castle Leslie hit centre stage when it hosted the wedding of Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. Over 800 million people worldwide saw the event on TV and it certainly had a huge impact on the progression of Castle Leslie and the border counties.
2004 saw the re-purchase of the Estate's Equestrian Centre and Hunting Lodge after its sale from the family 20 years before. At a time when many estates are being sold or downsized, it's refreshing to see an entirely different approach being taken by Sammy. She has shown by example how to bring life back to a traditional Estate sustained by tourism and by working symbiotically with the local community.
In August 2004, INTEREG ILLA announced that Castle Leslie had won a Euro cross border-funded package in collaboration with the Caledon Regeneration Partnership. The funding helped with the restoration and regeneration of the Castle Leslie Long Gallery Wing, allowing the Estate to offer conferencing facilities, six more guestrooms, giving 20 rooms in total and the transformation of the old Victorian Kitchens into a Cookery School. Headed up by Chef Noel McMeel, the courses range from Food and Erotica, Men Only, Italian Cooking, Death by Chocolate and many more.
In 2005, the property was awarded Best Country House by The Sunday Times and also Best Country House Restaurant in Ulster by Food and Wine. In March 2006, it was awarded the prestigious Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal for Best Country House 2006.
The Big Step
With 78,000 square feet of historic buildings, miles of famine wall and the Hunting Lodge back in the fold. Funding was sourced for reinventment of the Estate. Hearing her father’s voice commenting on the insensitive development of the Irish countryside, Sammy decided that there had to be a balance, a better way forward. Inspired by Poundbury, the town Prince Charles built in England, she worked with a team of Irish architects to extend the village of Glaslough back over the estate where it had been, prior to a fire in the 1850s.
Village Cottages and Houses
The Village Cottages and houses on the grounds of the Castle Leslie Estate are the first of their kind in Ireland. They are currently being finished and are designed to provide a seamless extension to Glaslough village. Built around a Village Square and Green, these classically proportioned homes with slate roofs, sliding sash windows, open fires, cut limestone and salvage brick, are built to be timeless. The development was designed by Consarc Architects, specialists in conservation and heritage architecture, to be as sympathetic as possible to the current style of the existing village. All proceeds from the sale of the houses are re-invested to fund the continual regeneration of Castle Leslie as a whole.
This has allowed Sammy to go back again to her original dream - great horses, good food and the craic of entertaining. The current projects are the restoration of The Hunting Lodge, Walled Garden, Gate Lodge and the regeneration of the Old stable mews to create 35 guestrooms, new bars and dining areas and a wonderful spa. The building of the new equestrian playground of 55 stables, a 30 m x 50 m indoor arena, viewing gallery for up to 200 people and Ireland’s only virtual horse are all tucked behind the Hunting lodge, with the 1000 acres of rolling parklands and lakes to play on caps it all off.
At the time of opening, the Estate team will be made up of over 140 great people from all parts of the Isle and the globe.