Manderley Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Manderley Castle |
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Caisleán Mhanderley
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View of Manderley Castle
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| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Town or city | Killiney |
| Country | Ireland |
| Completed | 1840 |
| Owner | Enya |
| Grounds | 14,000 m2 |
Manderley Castle (Irish: Caisleán Mhanderley) is a large, castle-like house in Killiney, County Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. It was built in the Victorian style. This famous home is currently owned by the singer Enya. It was once known as "Victoria Castle" and later "Ayesha Castle."
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What Makes Manderley Castle Special?
From the top of the castle's tower, you can see far across the Irish coast, all the way to Wales. The castle is surrounded by 14,000 square meters (about 3.5 acres) of beautiful gardens. These gardens have many quiet, tree-lined paths. There was once a secret tunnel at the bottom of the garden that led to Killiney beach. However, this tunnel is now closed off.
The Story of Manderley Castle
The castle was first built in 1840 by Judge Robert Warren. He named it Victoria Castle to celebrate Queen Victoria becoming queen.
In 1928, a fire badly damaged the inside of the castle. It was later rebuilt by Sir Thomas Power, whose family was famous for making whiskey. He changed the castle's name to "Ayesha Castle." This name came from a goddess in Rider Haggard's novel She, who rose from flames.
In 1995, the Aylmer family, who owned the castle then, decided to open it to visitors. They turned some old stables into an apartment and a craft room. They also created The Stable Gallery, where many artists showed their work.
Enya Buys the Castle
In 1997, the famous Irish musician Enya bought the castle for about €3.8 million. It was reported that she outbid Michael Flatley, another well-known performer. Enya loved the novel Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. In that book, there's a fictional house called Manderley. Because of her interest in the story, Enya renamed her new home "Manderley Castle."
Keeping the Castle Safe
To keep her home safe, Enya made some changes to the castle's security. She put in strong new wooden gates at the entrance. She also made the stone wall around the castle taller, raising it to more than 2.7 meters (about 9 feet). On top of some parts of the wall, she added 1.2-meter (about 4-foot) railings. Even with these changes, there were a couple of security incidents in 2005 while Enya was there. The castle also has a special "panic room" for safety.
See also
In Spanish: Castillo Manderley para niños
