Audley's Castle

Audley's Castle is a three-storey tower house named after its 16th century owner, John Audley.

There are thousands of small stone towers similar to Audley's Castle in the Irish countryside. They are one of the commonest of archaeological sites, which indicates these were not buildings put up for the higher aristocracy, but for lesser lords and gentry. Most were built in the late Middle Ages (roughly 1350–1550). Audley's was built towards the end of this period.

There is very little historical information about the buildings in the small courtyard around Audley's. Only a minority of towers had courtyard walls at all, and their buildings were clearly less important than the tower. The towers in different parts of the country vary, with distinct regional patterns. Audley's with its two turrets linked by an arch is one of a type found in County Down only.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Park Road 4, Downpatrick, United Kingdom

See all sites in Downpatrick

Details

Founded: 15th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Portaferry Castle (1,5 km)
Strangford Castle (1,3 km)
Castle Ward (1,4 km)
Killyleagh Castle (5,9 km)
Kilclief Castle (5,2 km)
Audleystown Court Cairn (1,6 km)
Quintin Castle (5,4 km)

Belfast City Hall (33,4 km)
St. Anne's Cathedral (33,9 km)
Albert Memorial Clock (33,5 km)
Grand Opera House (33,5 km)
Carrickfergus Castle (40,1 km)
Ulster Museum (32,5 km)
Belfast Castle (37,8 km)
Botanic Gardens of Belfast (32,3 km)
Parliament Building of Belfast (30,2 km)

User Reviews

Jason Conradt (3 months ago)
Another cool stop on the GoT tour. Lovely views too bad you can't go into the castle .

Kathy Ward (3 months ago)
Great historic site,part of a fantastic walk. There are fabulous views of Strangford Lough. Great spot for a photo opportunity.

Jarrett Momberger (4 months ago)
Very pleasent and peaceful, has a great view

Matt Janaway (12 months ago)
My partner and I absolutely loved this place. We visited during a Game of Thrones tour and the views were spectacular. I highly recommend visiting. If you can, go with a tour guide. We were lucky enough to have an extra in the show as our guide, which made it extra special.

Chris Wilson (12 months ago)
A big old castle with a fantastic view. Whilst not readily accessible, requires walking through a field, it offers some truly spectacular views of the local countryside. Whilst not able to ourselves, we did hear that you are able to get into the castle during Summer afternoons.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright eiljot

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Sirmione Castle

Sirmione castle was built near the end of the 12th century as part of a defensive network surrounding Verona. The castle was maintained and extended first as part of the Veronese protection against their rivals in Milan and later under the control of the Venetian inland empire. The massive fortress is totally surrounded by water and has an inner porch which houses a Roman and Medieval lapidary. From the drawbridge, a staircase leads to the walkways above the walls, providing a marvellous view of the harbour that once sheltered the Scaliger fleet. The doors were fitted with a variety of locking systems, including a drawbridge for horses, carriages and pedestrians, a metal grate and, more recently, double hinged doors. Venice conquered Sirmione in 1405, immediately adopting provisions to render the fortress even more secure, fortifying its outer walls and widening the harbour.

Thanks to its strategical geographical location as a border outpost, Sirmione became a crucial defence and control garrison for the ruling nobles, retaining this function until the 16th century, when its role was taken up by Peschiera del Garda.

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