Restoring Mourne’s mountain shelters

Restoring Mourne’s mountain shelters

15 July 2015

SOME of the most distinctive man-made landmarks in the beautiful Mournes have been restored to their former glory.

Three stone ‘shelter’ towers that sit on top of Slieve Commedagh, Slieve Meelmore and Northern Ireland’s highest peak, Slieve Donard, have been refurbished after 100 years of exposure to the elements.

The towers, all linked by the 22-mile Mourne wall,  were built a century ago to protect workers from the elements and have acted as landmarks ever since.  However, they had fallen into disrepair and in order to secure their future, significant investment and work was required. 

Approximately £64,000 has been invested to carry out essential maintenance and refurbishment work on the three towers.  Financial support was provided by the Mourne Mountains Landscape Partnership (funded primarily by the Heritage Lottery Fund and NIEA) and the Rural Development Programme (via the Down Rural Area Partnership and Southern Organisation for Action in Rural Area).

The Mourne wall encloses the catchment area for Silent Valley and Ben Crom reservoirs 

which is owned by NI Water. Company spokeswoman, Celine Rodgers said the company is delighted to have been able to restore the towers.

“The towers are well known to hillwalkers and campers as landmarks, and it is important that these unique structures are maintained as they form part of the built heritage of the area,” she said.

“This project would not have been possible without the active support of all our partners, and we are grateful for the opportunity to work together on this project.  Our co-operation has ensured the survival of these valuable landmarks to be appreciated by future generations as well as continued practical use as shelters for hikers caught in poor weather conditions.

‘‘The Mournes remain vital to NI Water today as a source of drinking water; approximately 130 million litres of water is produced by Silent Valley alone every single day.  We are always pleased to welcome the public to our site at Silent Valley Mountain Park, and we encourage people to come and see everything the area has to offer during the summer months.

 ‘‘However, one significant issue remains outstanding; littering in and around the towers has become a big problem in recent years, and given their location, it is very difficult to police this.  

“Along with our partners, we hope that the restoration of the towers will encourage more responsible behaviour from hillwalkers – we want the towers to be an asset everyone can enjoy, free from littering and other antisocial activity.

 ‘‘NI Water looks forward to an ongoing role as a major stakeholder in the Mournes and will always do whatever possible to enhance this wonderful natural asset.’’