Quoile Castle

Quoile Castle is a castle situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland, just off the main road from Downpatrick to Strangford, on the east bank of the River Quoile. It is a 16th-century tower house, which was inhabited into the 18th century.[2] Quoile Castle tower house is a State Care Historic Monument in the townland of Quoile, in Down District Council area, at grid ref: J4963 4701.[3]

Quoile Castle
Near Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland
TypeTower house
Site history
BuiltLate 16th century[1]
MaterialsSplit-stone rubble with sandstone dressing[1]

Features

The south corner of the building has fallen down and shows a cross-section of the castle. In the north east wall the doorway has been rebuilt and gives access to a straight mural stairway. This is protected by murder-holes at the bottom and at the top. The inner doorway at the ground floor opens into a chamber with a stone vault and many small gun-loops. Beyond this is a second similar chamber. The first floor has two rooms and one of them has a fireplace. The second floor is reached by another straight stairway within the north west wall. There is another fireplace at this level.[2]

Finds

In 1986, seven silver sixpence pieces dating from the time of Elizabeth I were found at the castle.[4]

Partially reconstructed West wall of Quoile Castle, Downpatrick
  • Quoile Castle, October 2009
  • Information board, Quoile Castle, October 2009
  • Quoile Castle, October 2009

See also
  • List of castles in Northern Ireland

References
  1. Logue, Ruth (2004). Monitoring Report: Quoile Castle, County Down (PDF) (Report). Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, Queen's University Belfast. p. 3. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
  2. Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland (1983). Historic Monuments of Northern Ireland. Belfast: HMSO. p. 107.
  3. "Quoile Castle" (PDF). Environment and Heritage Service NI – State Care Historic Monuments. p. DOWN 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
  4. Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland (1988). Pieces of the Past. Belfast: HMSO. p. 97.

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