Ashford Castle

Ashford Castle is a mainly Victorian and medieval castle near Cong on the County Mayo–Galway border in Ireland. The castle has been expanded over the centuries and turned into a five star hotel.

A castle was built on the perimeter of a monastic site in 1228 by the Anglo-Norman House of Burke. In 1589, the castle fell to Bingham, who added a fortified enclave within its precincts. Dominick Browne, of the Browne family (Baron Oranmore and Browne), received the estate in a Royal Grant in either 1670 or 1678. In 1715, the estate of Ashford was established by the Browne family and a hunting lodge in the style of a 17th-century French chateau was constructed. The double-headed eagles still visible on the roof represent the coat of arms of the Brownes.

The estate was purchased in 1852 by Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness. He added two large Victorian style extensions. He also extended the estate to 26,000 acres, built new roads and planted thousands of trees. On Sir Benjamin's death in 1868, the estate passed to his son Lord Ardilaun, who expanded the building further in the neogothic style.

Lord Ardilaun was an avid gardener who oversaw the development of massive woodlands and rebuilt the entire west wing of the castle, designed by architects James Franklin Fuller and George Ashlin. The new construction connected the early 18th-century part in the east with two de-Burgo-time towers in the west. Battlements were added to the whole castle.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Cong, Ireland

Details

Founded: 1228
Category: Castles and fortifications in Ireland