The Wonderful Barn
The Wonderful Barn ( English , The Wonderful Barn ' , irish at Iothlainn Aisteach ) is a barn in corkscrew shape on the grounds of Castletown House between Leixlip and Celbridge in County Kildare , Ireland . It was built in 1743 on the side of the property facing Leixlip. The barn stairs lead up on the outside of the building. The ensemble includes two smaller dovecotes that flank the barn on two sides.
Purpose theories
As to the possible purpose of this unusual building, there has been various speculations over time.
One theory is based on the common use of pigeons as a delicacy in the Georgian era when game or other animals were not available for seasonal reasons. The Wonderful Barn interprets this theory as a dovecote.
The height of the building would also for use by sport shooters are, was set up so the theory, it could be a tower to shoot or gamekeepers was used.
The tower is visible from the windows on the east side of Castletown House, so it could be just a folly for this view.
However, since the building has a centrally located hole in each floor, it is generally assumed that it is a granary . The building was constructed in the years immediately after the Irish Famine (1740–1741) when there was a need for new granaries to prevent future famine. The Connollys owned the Kilmacredock estate , which they had leased. A granary would have been helpful for their tenants.
The building project probably also served the purpose of creating employment opportunities for the poor population in the area. Another building project that had been carried out on the property between 1740 and 1741 had already pursued this intention: the erection of an obelisk with the current name Conolly's Folly .
A similar building, an imitation of the Wonderful Barn , is the Bottle Tower in Churchtown (Dublin) , near Rathfarnham .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b The Wonderful Barn, Leixlip, Co. Kildare ( Memento of the original from March 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the Irish Georgian Society website
- ↑ Wonderful Barn, County Kildare on kildare.ie
- ^ Off the beaten track in Ireland on Ireland.com
Coordinates: 53 ° 21 '35.1 " N , 6 ° 30' 36.2" W.