Strangford Castle

Coordinates: 54°22′18″N 5°33′19″W / 54.3718°N 5.5553°W

Strangford Castle, August 2009

Strangford Castle is a castle on a height overlooking the harbour in Strangford, County Down, Northern Ireland, across Strangford Lough from Portaferry Castle.^[1] It was probably originally built in the 15th century but most of the present building dates from the late 16th century. Strangford Castle tower house is a State Care Historic Monument in the townland of Strangford Lower, in Down District Council area, at grid ref: J5887 4983.^[2] Its popularity grew after it was used as the well-known castle of "Winterfell" in the TV show Game of Thrones

Features

It appears to be a small tower house from the late 16th century, but a blocked door of 15th century type at first floor level, seems to indicate the remodelling of an earlier tower. The current entrance, in the north-east wall, is a reconstruction, positioned by the surviving corbelled machicolation above and a socket from a draw-bar to secure the original door. The original entrance may have been on the first floor. It is a small, rectangular, three-storey tower house with no vault or stone stairway. The first floor fireplace has an oven. The ground floor chamber is lit only by small gun-loops. The roof has very fine crenellations, again with pistol-loops.^[1] The original floors, like their modern replacements, were made of wood.^[3]

Gallery

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  Strangford Castle, August 2009
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  Strangford Castle, August 2009
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  Strangford Castle, August 2009

See also

• Castles in Northern Ireland

References

1. Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland (1983). Historic Monuments of Northern Ireland. Belfast: HMSO. pp. 96–97.
2. "Strangford Castle" (PDF). Environment and Heritage Service NI - State Care Historic Monuments. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
3. Harbinson, P (1992). Guide to National and Historic Monuments of Ireland. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. p. 122.