House - fortified house

The National Monuments Service's description

Located in level terrain in the west end of the Island. This castle may incorporate the fortress built on Lambay in 1467 on land leased to John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester, Lord Deputy for Edward IV which would prevent pirates harbouring there and plundering traffic on the Irish Sea. The castle with its four projecting angle towers was later incorporated by Lutyens in the early 20th century as an integral element of his design for a new castle (Brown 1996, 99-103). It stands two storeys high with angle towers or bastions constructed at such an angle to defend all of the walls (Cooney 1993, 27; Scantlebury 1945, 88-89). Triangular shaped musket holes in the angle towers provide flanking cover and indicate a 16th/17th century date. The ground floor has a main chamber which is rectangular in plan (L .90m, Wth 4.50m) and entered through a doorway in the E. There is a fireplace in the E wall (Wth 2.45m, H 1.20m, D 0.76m) and a splayed window embrasure in the W wall. The W wall of the main chamber (T1.30m) is thicker than the other walls suggesting that it may be part of an earlier structure. Originally, all the angle towers in the SW (L 4.50m, Wth 3.60m); NW (L 4.90m, Wth 3.75), SE (4.60m. Sq. ) and NE were accessible from the main chamber. However, access to the SW angle tower off the main chamber was removed by the insertion of a fireplace in its NW angle and the NE corner of the castle has been re-modelled to incorporate a later drawing room. Interiors of the angle towers have been squared off internally but splay externally. The first floor chamber has been partitioned to create a hallway in the N. All towers contain fireplaces at this level. Each angle tower has a crow-foot gable and each gable supports a chimney. The exterior of the castle is rendered making identification of structural features difficult. In advance of proposed development an architectural conservation plan has been undertaken.

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Updated by: Christine Baker

Date of upload: 31 December 2014

References

Cooney, G. 1993 Lambay: an island on the horizon. Archaeology Ireland 7, No. 4, 24-8.

Brown, J.L. 1996 Lutyens and the Edwardians: an English architect and his clients. London. Viking.

Scantlebury, Rev. C.S. 1945 Lambay. Dublin Historical Record 7, 82-91.