1. The History
Kilwaughter Castle was built by John Nash between 1803 and 1807, for the Agnew family, tax collectors for the County of Antrim. Located on the site of an older 17th century tower, the castle is situated in the hills, about 3 miles south-west of Larne. During World War I, wounded American officers were among those who found comfort at Kilwaughter Castle. By then the castle was the home of an American, Mrs. Elizabeth Galt Smith. Her family leased and refurbished the castle for over 30 years until 1922. During World War the castle was the property of the Italian Balzani family resulting in it being declared enemy territory. Hence it was seized by the government and used to house soldiers of the American 644th Tank Destroyer Battalion who were based at the castle during their preparations for the D-Day Landings. The castle remained uninhabited from that time on and fell into disrepair. Roofs collapsed and floors collapsed leaving it as an empty shell. It is now privately owned and not open to the public. As of 2017, a charitable trust was reportedly being formed to "stop further deterioration of the castle".
A couple of archive shots of the castle in its heyday:
kilwaughter_castle 02 by HughieDW, on Flickr
kilwaughter_castle 01 by HughieDW, on Flickr
2. The Explore
The first of a few reports from my recent trip to Northern Ireland. A pretty relaxed explore this. Access was easy and despite forming part of a ‘live’ farm, no one seemed too bothered by my presence. Was waiting of sunrise and the fact it was a cloudy day meant the light conditions were pretty limited. Internally it is very much a shell with little to see. Externally though, it’s a very photogenic place with some interesting architectural details.
3. The Pictures
img0089 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0087 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0082 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0080 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0079 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0077 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0074 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0073 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0068 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0063 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0061 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0057 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0048 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0047 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0045 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Kilwaughter 07 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Kilwaughter 06 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Kilwaughter 02 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Kilwaughter 01 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Kilwaughter Castle was built by John Nash between 1803 and 1807, for the Agnew family, tax collectors for the County of Antrim. Located on the site of an older 17th century tower, the castle is situated in the hills, about 3 miles south-west of Larne. During World War I, wounded American officers were among those who found comfort at Kilwaughter Castle. By then the castle was the home of an American, Mrs. Elizabeth Galt Smith. Her family leased and refurbished the castle for over 30 years until 1922. During World War the castle was the property of the Italian Balzani family resulting in it being declared enemy territory. Hence it was seized by the government and used to house soldiers of the American 644th Tank Destroyer Battalion who were based at the castle during their preparations for the D-Day Landings. The castle remained uninhabited from that time on and fell into disrepair. Roofs collapsed and floors collapsed leaving it as an empty shell. It is now privately owned and not open to the public. As of 2017, a charitable trust was reportedly being formed to "stop further deterioration of the castle".
A couple of archive shots of the castle in its heyday:
2. The Explore
The first of a few reports from my recent trip to Northern Ireland. A pretty relaxed explore this. Access was easy and despite forming part of a ‘live’ farm, no one seemed too bothered by my presence. Was waiting of sunrise and the fact it was a cloudy day meant the light conditions were pretty limited. Internally it is very much a shell with little to see. Externally though, it’s a very photogenic place with some interesting architectural details.
3. The Pictures
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