Crom Castle facts for kids

Crom Castle (in Irish: Caisleán na Croime) is a beautiful old castle located on the edge of Upper Lough Erne in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It sits within a huge 1,900-acre (about 7.7 square kilometers) estate.

The castle is built from grey stone and has two main floors. Its entrance is a tower with battlements, like those on old forts, and smaller towers next to it. Outside, there are lovely formal gardens that stretch out into the wider estate and parkland.

You can also find the ruins of the Old Crom Castle on the estate. Today, only parts of its original walls, two towers, and a "ha-ha" remain. A ha-ha is a clever deep ditch that looks like it's not there, giving an unbroken view of the landscape. Inside the Old Castle grounds, there are also two of the oldest yew trees in Ireland, thought to be over 800 years old!

History of Crom Castle

Building the First Castle

Like many large estates in Ulster, the first house at Crom was built by a Scottish settler in the early 1600s. This was part of a plan called the Plantation of Ulster in 1611. Michael Balfour, who was the Laird of Mountwhinney, built a house on the shore of the lough, across from Inishfendra Island. The Old Castle at Crom was made of lime and stone and surrounded by a protective wall called a bawn.

Surviving Sieges

In 1689, the Old Crom Castle faced two attacks during the Williamite War in Ireland. The Crichton family, led by Colonel Abraham Crichton, bravely defended the castle against the Jacobite forces. They held out until help arrived from Enniskillen. The fighting in the local area ended at the Battle of Newtownbutler. Here, a smaller force of less than 1,500 troops from Enniskillen defeated a much larger army of King James II, capturing or killing as many as 3,000 of his soldiers. This battle happened near the townland of Kilgarrett, about one mile south of Newtownbutler.

From Old to New Castle

Sadly, in 1764, the Old Castle was destroyed by a fire that started inside. Then, in 1840, the beautiful Crom Castle you see today was built. It was designed by a famous English architect named Edward Blore, who also worked on parts of Buckingham Palace.

Crom Castle is still owned privately by the Earl of Erne. You can visit it by booking a private tour. In 1987, the 6th Earl of Erne, often known as Harry Erne, gave the estate to the National Trust to look after and manage.

Classic Boat Regatta

In August 2010, Crom Estate was the setting for a wonderful event. A big regatta (a series of boat races) for classic yachts and steamboats was held. It recreated races from the 1890s in Trial Bay. Many different types of old boats took part, including Norfork Broads One-Designs and Lough Erne Fairies. The races happened on Upper Lough Erne, right where the castle could be seen. Each evening, the boats would moor near the boathouse in Crom Bay.

The Boathouse at Crom

The castle's boathouse was built on the shore of Lough Erne, below the main castle. It was originally designed by Edward Blore, the same architect who designed the castle. However, the boathouse was damaged by fire in 1841 and later rebuilt by George Sudden.

The boathouse has a charming Tudor style. It features graceful arches at ground level and a lovely window in the upstairs room that looks out over a terrace and the lake. Before modern roads and cars, traveling by boat on Lough Erne was one of the most common ways to get around in County Fermanagh. Because of this, Crom's boathouse was very important. Guests often arrived by boat and then made their way from the lough shore up to the Castle. For a while, it was even the home of the Erne Yacht Club. Today, the boathouse is empty, but the jetty is still used by the Earl of Erne for his boats.

Staying in the West Wing

Crom Castle is privately owned by the Crichton family, the Earls of Erne. However, you can now experience the magic of this beautiful place by staying in Crom Castle's West Wing!

The West Wing can be rented all year round. You can book it for a week or for a long weekend. It can host groups of up to 19 people. Whether you are looking for a place to get creative, planning a company event, or a family holiday, the West Wing can meet your needs. You can choose to rent it for self-catering, meaning you cook for yourselves, or have it fully staffed with a cook, depending on what you prefer.

The West Wing includes an elegant drawing room. This room catches the evening sun and opens onto a terrace, giving you access to the lake. It also has a dining room and a large Victorian conservatory. This conservatory is perfect for bigger gatherings, as it can host up to 65 people.

Gallery

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  U.S. troops outside Crom Castle during World War II

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  The ruins of the Old Crom Castle.

Images for kids

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  Crom Castle Orange Lodge 1219