Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

In undulating pastureland, sloping slightly to NE. According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) the 'Castle upon the lands of Ballydwille' was under the proprietorship of 'James Lord Barn. Of Dunboyne Irish Papist' in 1640 (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 220). This four-storey tower house (ext. dims. 9.6m N-S; 12.4m E-W; wall T 1.37-2.41m) with rounded angles, built on a low mound (21.4m N-W; 27.4m E-W; H 0.18-0.32m), is now encircled by a wooden fence. Little survives of the external E and S faces above ground-floor level. Constructed of limestone rubble, roughly coursed with a basal plinth and gradual base-batter (H c.3m) on all but the W wall, there is a stone barrel vault over the second floor with a loft space below, but otherwise all floors are wooden. The main doorway at the S end of the W wall, protected by a yett and a gun-loop to the S, leads into a lobby area, the roof of which is missing. From this lobby the main ground-floor chamber is accessed directly in front to the E, while a doorway to the N leads to a short passage with spiral stairs rising in the NW angle and a second doorway to the S leads to a small guard room. The ground floor is lit by windows in the N, E and S walls, all set within straight-sided embrasures, and has a wall cupboard at the W end of the N wall. The first floor is accessed from the spiral stairs, with the lighting arrangement similar to that on the ground floor and with a wall cupboard at the E end of the N wall. The second floor is also accessed from the spiral stairs and lit by two windows, one in the N and one in the E wall. A doorway from the N window embrasure in the E wall leads to a mural chamber. Another mural chamber is accessed from a flat-headed doorway in the W wall. At the E end of the N wall there is a fireplace with voussoired lintel. There is a wall cupboard in the S wall. The spiral stairs only survives up to second-floor level, broken before reaching the second-floor pointed doorway. It continued to the third floor and battlements. The third floor is not accessible and not visible above the vaulted roof, but it was lit by at least one double-light window in the N wall. Other walls at third-floor level do not survive. There is likely to be a mural chamber in the N wall between second and third-floor level, evidenced by an external window. Windows throughout are flat-headed, plain ogee-headed or round-headed. Garderobe chambers are at second and third-floor level and the garderobe chute exits above the plinth on the S wall. At battlement level are the corbel supports for a corner machicolation at the NE and SW angle. Towards the E end of the N wall a small chimney projects at this level, supported on corbels.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 26 August 2011

This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 25/1934).

References

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1931 The Civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol I: county of Tipperary: eastern and southern baronies. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.