Beresford Obelisk

Thanks to the help of many donors, grant aid from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and several charitable trusts, the Follies Trust was able to complete the conservation of the Beresford Obelisk at Ballyquin, near Limavady in the first few months of 2015. The obelisk was erected in 1840 in memory of Henry Barré Beresford, who was land agent for his relative the Marquess of Waterford. A reception was held at the Roe Valley Resort hotel on 19 May 2015 to mark the completion of the work and the launch of an associated publication funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund entitled The Beresford Obelisk, A legacy in stone in the Roe Valley. We were delighted to welcome Marcus de la Poer Beresford, Lord Decies, who formally launched the book. The event was attended by other members of the Beresford family including the Marquess of Waterford and Agnes Beresford-Ash, widow of the late John Randal Beresford-Ash (1938-2010) who was a direct descendant of Henry Barré Beresford. Amongst the many others attending were most of the authors of essays in the book, Chris McCollum, Raymond Blair, Daniel Calley, Professor James Stevens Curl, Primrose Wilson, the book’s editor Dr Evelyn Mullally and the farmer who owns the land on which the obelisk is situated, William Purcell.

The total cost of the project including the book amounted to over £80,000.

The book is available from the Follies Trust. Please see under ‘Publications’