Antrim Castle

17th Century Fortified Mansion

A trip to Antrim castle, might prove to be a little disappointing for castle enthusiasts, most of the remaining structures date to the late 19th century. These include the Italian style hexagonal tower, pictured below, built in 1887, a gatehouse with twin towers, buit in 1818 and the remains of a late 16th century artillery fort. Sir Hugh Clotworthy built the artillery fort here in 1596, before building the fortified mansion house to the west of the fort in 1613. His son Sir John Clotworthy made additions to the castle in 1662. AKA as Massereene Castle, it was rebuilt or remodelled by the 4th Earl of Massereene in 1812. The castle was destroyed by fire in 1922 before finally being demolished in 1970.

A series of granite slabs set into a lawn form the outline of the castle. Displayed on two plinths within the castle outline are duplicates of some stone carvings that formed a unique frontispiece above the main entrance. These included the coat of arms of King Charles II, Sir Hugh Clotworthy and his wife Lady Marian Langford. Also present on the castle grounds are the remains of a 12th century Anglo-Norman motte and bailey castle.