Ardglass Castle facts for kids
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Ardglass Castle, also known as The Newark, is an interesting old building located in Ardglass, County Down, Northern Ireland. It wasn't always a castle! It started out as a group of warehouses built in the 1400s right by the harbour. Today, you can still see large parts of the original building inside the modern clubhouse of Ardglass Golf Club.
Contents
History of Ardglass Castle
From Warehouses to a Grand Home
The buildings that make up Ardglass Castle were originally warehouses from the 1400s. They were used to store goods near the busy harbour. Towards the end of the 1700s, these old warehouses were changed into a large, fancy house. This transformation was done by Charles FitzGerald, who was a very important person at the time.
Famous Residents and New Features
Charles FitzGerald's mother, Emily FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster, also lived in the castle. Her second husband, William Ogilvie, lived there too. William Ogilvie had been a teacher to her son, Lord Edward FitzGerald. Ogilvie worked hard to turn Ardglass into a popular seaside town and a busy port. He added special features to the old warehouses, like battlements (which look like the top of a castle wall) and regular windows. The inside was decorated with beautiful plasterwork.
A Golf Club's Home
Later, the castle was passed down to William Ogilvie's daughter. In the late 1800s, more changes were made, including new windows and a porch. Finally, in 1911, Ardglass Castle became the home of the Ardglass Golf Club, which it remains to this day.
What Makes Ardglass Castle Special?
Original Design and Purpose
The original block of warehouses was built with a clever design. It had 13 spaces behind the quay (a platform next to the water), which were likely rented out to merchants who lived there or were visiting. There were also towers at each end to protect the goods and the people.
A Look Back in Time
In 1833, a journal called the Dublin Penny Journal described Ardglass Castle in detail. It mentioned that the building was called "the New-works" by local people. It stood strongly on a rocky shore, with the sea washing against it on two sides. The building was very long, about 250 feet (76 meters), but quite narrow, only 24 feet (7.3 meters) wide. Its walls were thick, about three feet (0.9 meters).
Shops and Protection
The journal noted that the castle had a neat design with three square towers: one in the middle and one at each end. Between these towers were 15 arched doorways and 16 square windows, placed one after the other. This arrangement made it clear that the spaces were meant to be shops or storage rooms for merchants. Above these shops, there was another floor with the same number of rooms, each with its own stone staircase.
Unique Features for Merchants
The rooms on the ground floor were about seven feet (2.1 meters) high, and the upper rooms were slightly shorter. Interestingly, each of these rooms had a small "water-closet" (an early type of toilet) with a pipe that went down through the walls and was washed by the sea at the bottom. The journal also mentioned that these rooms didn't have fireplaces. It seems the merchants used another building, called Horn Castle, for their cooking and dining. On the side facing the sea, there were only narrow openings, like tiny windows. This, along with the towers, showed that the building also served as a fortress to protect the merchants from pirates.
