Enniskillen Landscape

 
Key Characteristics

• Attractive lakeland with complex shorelines, promontories and wooded islands surrounded by high drumlin farmland.
• Open views across expanses of water and along reed beds and carr woodland on lough fringes.
• Enniskillen is sited on a series of drumlin islands and bridges the River Erne at its inflow to Lower Lough Erne.
• Many former castles and historic sites on islands and adjacent to the shore; wooded lough-side estate landscapes are important local features.
• Erne river corridor splits and converges as it winds around the drumlins to the south of Enniskillen.

Landscape Description

This landscape unit includes the southern end of Lower Lough Erne, the town of Enniskillen and the winding rivers and wetlands in the northern part of Upper Lough Erne. It is a landscape of open water, wooded islands and richly vegetated shorelines, which is often invisible from the main roads which pass around the lough. The lough and river sides are dominated by grassy drumlins, with fields separated by bushy hedgerows and hedgerow trees and numerous wooded off-shore islands. There are several large wooded estate landscapes including Castle Archdale on the north shores of Lower Lough Erne and Lisgoole Abbey to the south of Enniskillen on the banks of the River Erne. The many historic church sites on islands and shorelines throughout the character area (including the monastic island site of Devenish) reflect the importance of travel by water, particularly in Early Christian times.

Settlement is scattered along the main roads, with a variety of traditional dwellings, as well as individual prestigious new roadside houses. Enniskillen has an exceptional landscape setting at the main crossing point along the Erne River Corridor. The Erne splits and winds around the steep drumlins which provide defensible hill-top sites for the historic town. Enniskillen has many prominent landmarks, including castles, churches, a cathedral, monuments and the Portora Royal School. The main street retains its 17th century settlement pattern with a single main street running the entire length of the island linking bridges at both ends.

Landscape Condition and Sensitivity to Change

The lough shore landscapes and their associated semi-natural vegetation would be highly sensitive to development. Elsewhere there is scope for change to be accommodated within areas with undulating topography and a robust landscape pattern (intact hedgerows and woodland). Hedgerows, hedgerow trees and the woodlands and parklands of estate landscapes are often not well managed and some are overgrown and gappy.

Some of the new ribbon development along the roads which fringe the lough is not sympathetic to traditional styles or well integrated with its attractive and sensitive landscape setting. New ridge-top development in the town is also very prominent and there are pockets of degraded landscapes, for instance at the airport.

Principles for Landscape Management

The continued protection of the undeveloped lough fringes as a setting (and gateway) to Enniskillen is advisable.

The management of hedgerows and the replacement of hedgerow trees will prevent the loss of these important landscape features. The management of the woodlands and open spaces associated with designed parkland landscapes should be a priority and many would benefit from a programme of replanting, coppicing, thinning and hedge-laying.

The conservation and management of undeveloped lough fringes, wetlands and semi-natural woodlands is important; changes in adjacent land use which may affect water quality are particularly significant and should be carefully monitored.

Further from the shore, the well vegetated undulating character of the landscape contributes to a structure which is capable of accepting changes in land use, provided they fit into the existing scale and pattern of field boundaries.

Principles for Accommodating New Development

• The design and location of marinas, caravan sites and other tourist infrastructure is important to ensure that they are not prominent and do not detract from the quality of the lough-side.
• New development may be integrated if it is carefully sited to minimise disruption to existing vegetation and associated with new native planting.
• Ribbon development is already intrusive along lough shores and valley roads; new development should be concentrated in clustered groups and related to existing settlements. Derelict or established sites should be a priority for re-use. Planting plans are particularly important.