Kirkistown Castle
Encyclopedia
Kirkistown Castle is a castle situated near Cloghy
, County Down
, Northern Ireland
. The tower house and bawn is a state care historic monument in the townland
of Kirkistown, in Borough of Ards, at grid ref: J6450 5800.
It is an impressive three-storey tower house
, built in 1622 by Roland Savage, a Norman landlord , at the site of a ninth-century round tower. It was occupied until 1731, when it was deserted. It post-dates the Plantation
, but is fully in the late medieval tower-house tradition. Parts of the bawn
wall survive with three-quarter round flanker towers at the angles. The tower was remodelled in Gothic style in 1800 by a Col. Johnston, and in 1836 some further work was performed by a very young Master Montgomery of Grey Abbey. The building was left, however, with a partial roof and broken windows, and the elements soon returned it to disrepair. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency opened it to the public for the first time in 2001.
Cloghy
Cloghy or Cloughy is a small village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the east coast of the Ards Peninsula. It had a population of 752 people in the 2001 Census. It lies within the Borough of Ards.-Places of interest:...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, 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...
. The tower house and bawn is a state care historic monument in the townland
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
of Kirkistown, in Borough of Ards, at grid ref: J6450 5800.
It is an impressive three-storey 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...
, built in 1622 by Roland Savage, a Norman landlord , at the site of a ninth-century round tower. It was occupied until 1731, when it was deserted. It post-dates the Plantation
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...
, but is fully in the late medieval tower-house tradition. Parts of the bawn
Bawn
A bawn is the defensive wall surrounding an Irish tower house. It is the anglicised version of the Irish word badhún meaning "cattle-stronghold" or "cattle-enclosure". The Irish word for "cow" is bó and its plural is ba...
wall survive with three-quarter round flanker towers at the angles. The tower was remodelled in Gothic style in 1800 by a Col. Johnston, and in 1836 some further work was performed by a very young Master Montgomery of Grey Abbey. The building was left, however, with a partial roof and broken windows, and the elements soon returned it to disrepair. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency opened it to the public for the first time in 2001.