Sketrick Castle

Newtownards, United Kingdom

Sketrick Castle castle dates from the late 12th century. In the 14th century it was acquired by Sir Robert Savage. The Annals of the Four Masters record the capture of the castle in 1470 by an army led by the O'Neill to assist the MacQuillans. They took the castle and it was given to MacQuillan for safe keeping. It was intact until 1896 when a storm demolished much of it.

Sketrick Castle was four storeys high, with a boat bay and a stone subterranean passage discovered in 1957. It had four chambers at ground level, the largest with a vault constructed on wicker centring, as well as two brick-lined recesses, probably ovens. It has lintels running under the bawn wall to a chamber with a corbel over a fresh water spring. Parts of the bawn wall still survive to the north and east of the castle.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Sketrick Island 1, Newtownards, United Kingdom

See all sites in Newtownards

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Nendrum Monastery (1,1 km)
Mahee Castle (1,4 km)

Belfast City Hall (21,8 km)
St. Anne's Cathedral (22,1 km)
Albert Memorial Clock (21,8 km)
Grand Opera House (22 km)
Carrickfergus Castle (27 km)
Ulster Museum (21,3 km)
Belfast Castle (25,6 km)
Botanic Gardens of Belfast (21 km)
Parliament Building of Belfast (17,6 km)

User Reviews

sppohjason (2 years ago)
very picturesque. Nice views if you take the path up to the top of the island (not that far and not that high)

Lynsey Richards (4 years ago)
Great little spot for a nosey around an interesting ruin, parking at the front available but limited and right beside a coffee spot. Picnic area about a 10 minutes walk away with amenities too.

Alicia Mc Evoy (4 years ago)
Beautiful spot on Sketrick Island.cant drive around the island as the roads are private . Not much to the castle itself but it's situated in the beautiful white rock bay which is worth a visit. Beautiful area

RUTH BROWNE (4 years ago)
We went on an Spring afternoon the scenery was beautiful. It was like a summers day. Stopped at Daft Eddy's had a coffee and my daughter had a a brioche nap with sausage and hash brown very impressed. Lovely walk round to Strangford Sailing Club.

Gary Henderson (4 years ago)
It's a fenced off, old, ruined castle, how good or bad can it be! Nice walks the area, nice views of the Lough, but these have nothing to do with the castle..

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright caminanteK

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.