Quoile Castle

Quoile Castle
Near Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland
Type Tower house
Site history
Built Late 16th century[1]
Materials Split-stone rubble with sandstone dressing[1]

Quoile Castle is a castle situated 1.5 miles (2.4km) from Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland, just off the main road from Downpatrick to Strangford, on the east bank of the River Quoile. It is a 16th-century tower house, which was inhabited into the 18th century.[2] Quoile Castle tower house is a State Care Historic Monument in the townland of Quoile, in Down District Council area, at grid ref: J4963 4701.[3]

Features

The south corner of the building has fallen down and shows a cross-section of the castle. In the north east wall the doorway has been rebuilt and gives access to a straight mural stairway. This is protected by murder-holes at the bottom and at the top. The inner doorway at the ground floor opens into a chamber with a stone vault and many small gun-loops. Beyond this is a second similar chamber. The first floor has two rooms and one of them has a fireplace. The second floor is reached by another straight stairway within the north west wall. There is another fireplace at this level.[2]

Finds

In 1986, seven silver sixpence pieces dating from the time of Elizabeth I were found at the castle.[4]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Logue, Ruth (2004). Monitoring Report: Quoile Castle, County Down (PDF) (Report). Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, Queen's University Belfast. p. 3. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  2. 1 2 Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland (1983). Historic Monuments of Northern Ireland. Belfast: HMSO. p. 107.
  3. ↑ "Quoile Castle" (PDF). Environment and Heritage Service NI - State Care Historic Monuments. p. DOWN 4. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
  4. ↑ Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland (1988). Pieces of the Past. Belfast: HMSO. p. 97.

External links

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Coordinates: 54°20′58.3″N 5°41′59.48″W / 54.349528°N 5.6998556°W / 54.349528; -5.6998556

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