Portaferry Castle

Portaferry Castle is a small tower house in Portaferry, County Down, Northern Ireland, overlooking the harbour. It was built in the 16th century by William Le Savage. Portaferry Castle tower house is a State Care Historic Monument in the townland of Ballyphilip, in Borough of Ards, at grid ref: J5930 5085.[1]

Portaferry Castle, October 2009

History

The castle was probably built in the 16th century by a member of the Savage family. In 1635, Patrick Savage's brother-in-law, Sir James Montgomery of Rosemount (Greyabbey), repaired the castle by roofing and flooring it so that his sister could live in greater comfort there.[2]

Features

It is a square building with a small projecting turret on the south corner. It is three storeys high plus attic and there is no vault. Most of the eastern corner is in ruins. The entrance at the base of the tower is protected by a small machicolation and the entrance to the ground floor chamber is protected by a murder-hole. A curved stairway within the tower rises to the first floor and a spiral stairway in the west corner continues to roof level.[2][3]

References
  1. "Portaferry Castle" (PDF). Environment and Heritage Service NI - State Care Historic Monuments. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
  2. Harbinson, P. (1992). Guide to National and Historic Monuments of Ireland. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. p. 120.
  3. Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland (1983). Historic Monuments of Northern Ireland. Belfast: HMSO. p. 107.

See also
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