Castle Leslie

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Castle Leslie

Castle Leslie, home to the Irish Branch of Clan Leslie is located on 1000 acre estate adjacent to Glaslough village, 7 miles north-east of Monaghan town in County Monaghan, Ireland.

1 Architecture
2 The Estate
3 Present Status and Hotel
4 References
5 External link

[edit] Architecture

The Castle is fashioned in the Scottish Baronial style and was designed by Charles Lanyon and W.H. Lynn in 1870 for Sir John Leslie, 1st Baronet MP. It is situated where an earlier castle stood and, therefore, never had a defensive purpose. The house presents a rather dour and austere façade and is sited in such a way so as to mask the gardens to an approaching visitor. To the rear of the house the gardens are relieved by an Renaissance style cloister which links the main house to a single storey wing containing the Library and Billiard Room. In contrast to the exterior designed by W.H. Lynn, the interior shows the hands of Lanyon and John Leslie himself through its strong Italian Renaissance feel.

[edit] The Estate

The Estate has three lakes (Glaslough (Irish for Green Lake), park land, meandering streams and several forests. The house today is still a home to the self proclaimed eccentric Leslie family, Sir Jack Leslie 4th Baronet and Samantha Leslie still taking up residence in the house. Other family members still assert their influence on the running of the estate through a Family Trust.

[edit] Present Status and Hotel

The Castle is now open to paying guests, who can now stay in the Hunting Lodge, the Castle itself or the recently constructed traditional styled holiday cottages located in the village. While an appropriate attitude of continued restoration of the house and grounds is still strong, many new features have been added to the estate. The estate has a Cookery School under chef Noel McMeel (formerly catering for the first family in The White House). 2004 saw the repurchase of the Estate Equestrian Centre and Hunting Lodge after its sale from the family twenty years ago. In 2005 5 new bedrooms on the ground floor were also added to the castle. Spring 2006 will see the further development to the resort.

Castle Leslie made headlines in 2002 when the musician Paul McCartney married Heather Mills in the Family Church located on the estate. This was spread inadvertently to the media by Sir Jack Leslie who notoriously remarked on live television "it's on Tuesday, but it's a secret". Through the years many a famous face has frequented the house, well known visitors include Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, British Astronomer Patrick Moore, Prince Pierre of Monaco, The Churchill family (with whom the Leslie's are related), Irish writer and poet WB Yeats and many more.