Sir, - Having researched the historical ecology of Irish semi-natural woodlands for a number of years I have become acutely aware of the tragic disappearance of so many of our 18th- and 19th-century wooded landscape parks. While such parklands once constituted an important component of the countryside (often incorporating remnants of ancient woodland alongside more recent planting), they have now largely disappeared as a result of neglect and development. I was therefore most upset to learn from Robert O'Byrne's Irishman's Diary (November 24th) that the beautiful park at Luttrellstown may fall victim to a £100 million commercial development.
Like other major 18th-century landscape designs, Luttrellstown was created as a work of art. Exact attention was paid to maintaining a structurally diverse parkland with trees of different shapes, sizes and ages; to highlighting the different configurations of land forms; and to emphasising the overall effects of colour, perspective, light and shade. It hardly needs to be said that the proposed hotels, leisure centres, housing estates and 27-hole golf course would devastate this semi-natural landscape.
Luttrellstown has survived unaltered for over two centuries and represents just one of a handful of large-scale 18th-century landscape parks left intact in Ireland. With so little woodland and so few parklands left in Ireland, it is imperative that Luttrellstown remains a part of our common heritage and is not sacrificed to a multinational corporation. - Yours, etc.,
Andrea Service, Castlewellan, Co Down.