Balrothery Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Balrothery Tower |
|
|---|---|
| Native name Irish: Túr Bhaile an Ridire |
|
 |
|
| Type | tower house |
| Location | Coach Road, Balrothery, County Fingal, Ireland |
| Built | early 16th century |
| Official name: Balrothery Tower | |
| Reference no. | 285 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
Balrothery Tower is an old, strong building called a tower house. It is a special National Monument in Balrothery, Ireland. This means it's a very important historical site protected by the country.
Contents
Where is Balrothery Tower?
Balrothery Tower is located in a village called Balrothery. You can find it just east of the main R132 in Ireland.
The History of Balrothery Tower
How Balrothery Got Its Name
The name Balrothery comes from the Irish words Baile an Ridire. This means "the knight's town." This name gives us a clue about its early history.
Around the year 1171, a knight named Robert de Rosel was given the land where Balrothery now stands. He was an ally of a powerful Norman leader known as Strongbow. Robert de Rosel built the first town and a castle here.
Early Owners and Changes
Robert de Rosel's son, Patrick, later became a priest for the church in Balrothery. After Patrick passed away, another person named Geoffrey de Costedin gave some lands in Balrothery to a place called Tristernagh Abbey. This happened between the years 1191 and 1212.
The tower you see today was built much later, around the early 1500s.
What Does Balrothery Tower Look Like?
Balrothery Tower is a three-story building. It is shaped like a square and made from rough stone. The top of the tower has a crenellated design, which looks like battlements on a castle.
Windows and Features
- Some windows have a special three-leaf shape, called "trefoil," with stone frames.
- Other windows are square-shaped and have brick around them.
- In the northwest corner of the tower, there is a small tower-like part called a turret. Inside this turret, you'll find a spiral staircase.
- The very top floor of the main tower has two-part windows on each side.
- On the east side of the tower, there is a small structure called a bell-cote, which would have held a bell.
- Lower down on the west wall, there is another two-part window. These windows have a special "ogee" shape, which is like an S-curve.
