Antrim Castle

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View of the tower from 1887

Antrim Castle (also Massereene Castle , Irish Caisleán Aontroma , Caisleán Mhása Ríona ) was a castle in Antrim , Northern Ireland . It was built in several stages between 1610 and 1666.

history

The castle was built by John Clotworthy . After his death the property passed to his son-in-law John Skeffington, 2nd Viscount Massereene . A ground floor supplied the castle with herbs for the kitchen or for medicinal purposes. The castle was raided by Jacobites who looted £ 3,000 worth of silver. It has served on various occasions for political meetings. A fire broke out during a ball on October 28, 1922, as a result of which the castle was completely destroyed. One person was killed in the fire. The cause of the fire indicated some arson by the IRA , but this could not be proven. Because of the unexplained cause of the fire, the insurance company refused to pay out the sum insured. The ruin remained until 1970 when it was demolished. All that remains today is a grassy platform, a freestanding Italian-style tower built in 1887, and a gatehouse . The castle garden, which also still exists, is a widely known tourist attraction.

View of the gatehouse

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Description of the palace gardens on discovernorthernireland.com ( Memento from July 20, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ a b c Clanaboy: Antrim Castle . In: The Dublin University Magazine . tape 57 . Dublin 1861, p. 168 ( Google Books [accessed October 11, 2014]).
  3. ↑ a b Entry on Antrim Castle on castles.nl

Web links

Commons : Antrim Castle  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 54 ° 43 ′ 19 ″  N , 6 ° 13 ′ 51 ″  W.