Milford House Museum

Milford House is the revoluntionary former seat of the famous Mc Crum family, one of Ireland's premier linen manufacturing families, the properietors of the firm Mc Crum, Watson and Mercer Ltd. Victorian Ireland's most technologically advanced mansion - the first house in Ireland to have hydroelectricity. "The palace of a modern magician". This exceptional house is one of Ireland's most important and unique historic houses. Built by Robert Mc Crum, self made industrialist, benefactor and genius who also created the self sufficent model village of Milford. His son William invented the penalty kick rule in football in 1890 in Milford village. From 1936 to 1965 it was home to the Manor House School, the only private school of its kind in Northern Ireland. Today it is registered on BARNI (Buildings at Risk Northern Ireland) Register as one of the buildings at most serious risk in Northern Ireland. The treesare protected by a Tree Preservation Order. The Milford Buildings Preservation Trust, a registered charity which is dedicated to protecting Milford House has restored the Gate Lodge which is open to the public for the first time this year and contains family costumes, furniture and silver returned to Milford after an absence of over seventy years. Guided tours of the gate lodge tell the extrodinary storey of the Mc Crum family, and the magnificent house they created. The gate lodge grounds provide a very peaceful setting. The remains of Lisbanoe Mill where the electricty was generated can be seen nearby and the field where William Mc Crum invented the penalty kick is only five minutes walk.