Castle Upton is a castle situated in the village of Templepatrick

Templepatrick

Templepatrick is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is northwest of Belfast, and halfway between the towns of Ballyclare and Antrim. It had a population of 1,556 in the 2001 Census. It is also close to Belfast International Airport and the village has several hotels...

, County Antrim

County Antrim

County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. One side of the main street in the village of Templepatrick consists of the demesne

Demesne

In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...

 wall of Castle Upton. A fortified gateway in the wall at the centre of the village leads up to the castle. The core of the main house is a tower house

Tower house

A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...

 with walls up to five feet thick, erected in 1611 by Sir Robert Norton and originally known as Castle Norton. It was purchased in 1625 by Captain Henry Upton, who became Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Carrickfergus

Carrickfergus (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

Carrickfergus was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons from 1326 to 1800.-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:This constituency was the borough of Carrickfergus in County Antrim. It returned two members to the Parliament of Ireland to 1800.-History:In the Patriot Parliament of 1689...

 in 1634 and renamed the building. The stable block is a copy of Roman style fortifications. The family mausoleum

Mausoleum

A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...

 is in the care of the National Trust

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

 and is open to visitors. Many Templetown viscounts

Viscount Templetown

Viscount Templetown was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created created on 13 February 1806 for John Upton, 2nd Baron Templetown. He was the son of Clotworthy Upton, who served as Clerk Comptroller to Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales. On 3 August 1776 he had been raised to the Peerage...

 and barons are buried there. The mausoleum was built in the form of a triumphal arch by Robert Adam

Robert Adam

Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...

, who also extended the house in 1783. The house is currently inhabited by the Kinahan family, being purchased by Sir Robin Kinahan

Robin Kinahan

Sir Robert George Caldwell "Robin" Kinahan was a politician, businessman and a senior member of the Orange Order in Northern Ireland. In his obituary, he was described as one of the last of the "county elite" to remain a high-ranking member of the Orange Order during the turbulent years of The...

in the 1960s.