Kilclief Castle, Strangford, United Kingdom

Kilclief Castle was the earliest tower-house in Lecale area, and was built between 1412 and 1441. It was originally occupied by John Sely, who is said to have built the castle. John Sely was Bishop of Down from 1429 to 1443, when he was ejected and deprived of his offices for living there with Lettice Whailey Savage, a married woman. The building was garrisoned for the Crown by Nicholas Fitz Symon and ten warders from 1601 to 1602.

The castle is tall with four floors. The first floor is vaulted in stone, with two projecting turrets. One (to the south-east) contains a spiral stair and the other (to the north-east) a series of garderobes (latrines) with access from three of the four floors. These projecting turrets are joined at roof level by a high machicolation arch covering a drop-hole for dropping missiles on unwelcome visitors below. There are stepped battlements. As at Jordan's Castle, the ground floor chamber has a semicircular barrel vault built on wicker centering. On the second floor a 13th-century coffin-lid from a nearby church was reused as a lintel for the fireplace. The two-light window in the east wall is a modern reconstruction based on a surviving fragment.

The castle is now in state care. A board outside the castle tells visitors where to obtain a key should they want access. Guided tours are available in July and August.

References:

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User Reviews

Gavin Burnside (2 years ago)
Excellent little car park right beside the castle and a beautiful small beach

Janet Millar (4 years ago)
Beautiful beach and lovely old stone builing cold windy day when we arrived but still enjoyable. Small car park so could ve a probkem if the weathers better

Leno Oliveira (5 years ago)
Worth a visit. Free and nice building but you can’t enter.

Michael Tarpey (5 years ago)
Beautiful area. Small, but nice carpark with 3 picnic benches opposite, directly at the beach.

John Breen (6 years ago)
Pity about the ramshackle hayshed next to it - it detracts from an otherwise beautiful place

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Klearchos Kapoutsis

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The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.

Kilclief Castle

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