Antrim Castle
The remaining Italianate tower Photo - Albert Bridge -
Wikipedia - lic. under CC BY 2.0
Castle Facts:
Location: Antrim, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Built: 1613.
Condition: Intact.
Ownership / Access: Antrim Borough Council.
Opening times: Check their website for more info.
Price of admission: Check their website for more info.
Notes: Antrim Castle or Massereene Castle was a castle in Antrim, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on the banks of the Sixmilewater River. It was erected in stages between 1613 and 1662.[1] It was destroyed by fire in 1922 and finally demolished in the 1970s. The only evidence of the castle is a slightly raised grassed platform as well as a freestanding Italianate tower which was built in 1887 and a gatehouse. The gardens are a popular tourist attraction on the Randalstown Road, Antrim. Antrim Castle was rebuilt in 1813 as a three storey Georgian-Gothic castellated mansion, designed by Dublin architect, John Bowden. The Restoration style doorway of the original castle, featuring heraldry and a head of Charles I, was re-erected as the central feature of the entrance front. It also had tower-like projections at the corners of round angle turrets. A tall octagonal turret of ashlar was added to the front in 1887, when the castle was further enlarged. There was also a 17th-century formal garden, unique in Ulster. The gardens also featured a long canal with another canal at right angles to it, making a T shape, as well as a motte of a Norman castle. Jacobean-Revival outbuildings of coursed rubble basalt with sandstone dressings were built about 1840. The entrance gateway to the demesne has octagonal turrets. The stable block was later converted for use as a family residence and renamed Clotworthy House. This was acquired by Antrim Borough Council and converted for use as an Arts Centre in 1992.
How To Get To Antrim Castle (Map):
Antrim Castle Links:
Antrim Castle On WikipediaAntrim Castle at Library Ireland
