Castle Upton, Antrim Road, Templepatrick, Co Antrim, BT39 0AH

Castle Upton is a substantial country house of Grade A importance, set in parkland to the north of Templepatrick Village. The building is L-shaped in plan, facing south, and represents an architectural palimpsest spanning from around 1600 through to the 1840s, with major interventions by the celebrated designer Robert Adam around 1780 and by Edward Blore around 1840.

The core of the house dates from around 1600 and incorporates two full-height towers from this period, located to the north-east and south. A further tower was added in the 1840s to the north-west. The building is constructed of roughcast walling, with a hipped natural slate roof and conical roofs to the towers. Ridge tiles of roll-top clay with foliated terracotta finials ornament the south tower. Rendered chimneystacks feature corbelled caps. The rainwater goods throughout are ogee cast iron, suspended from deep moulded eaves.

The principal south-facing elevation is asymmetrical, with a split-level arrangement over an exposed basement. The seventeenth-century south tower is offset to the left. To its right sits the original north wing, which rises three storeys over the basement, while to the left of the tower sits a two-storey section over basement. An entrance porch projects from the right internal angle between tower and main block. This porch is smooth rendered and embellished with mock machicolations, tourelles, and a stepped parapet bearing a Maltese Cross motif. Access is gained via eleven stone steps leading to a round-headed opening with moulded archivolt supported on plain sandstone pilasters. The entrance door itself is a six-panelled woodgrained composition with a lockbox and brass fish knocker, set within a painted moulded masonry architrave dated 1611.

Windows throughout are side-hung timber casements with transomed and mullioned glazing patterns to the principal floors, set within sandstone blocked surrounds, lintels and sills. The west elevation of the main block displays two ground-floor windows with label moulds and a single first-floor window, all with smooth rendered surrounds. To the left extends a single-storey ballroom extension over basement, terminated by a circular tower to its right end. This ballroom range has three windows to its principal floor; the basement contains a central replacement door with flanking windows. The four-stage tower to the right features string courses and a machicolated parapet with a corbelled tourelle; musket loops pierce the ground floor.

The rear elevation of the ballroom extension is constructed of snecked basalt rubble stone. A single window to the principal floor is set within a projecting bay corbelled out over mock machicolations. The parapet contains an open stone transomed and mullioned window surround. A brick tourelle with musket loop is positioned to the left. The east elevation of the ballroom extension is similarly detailed, with its right end abutted by a stair tower featuring spurs, roughcast to the second stage and exposing rubble stone above.

The north elevation of the main block features a bowed bay slightly offset to the right of centre. To the right of this bay the section projects slightly and is abutted by the ballroom extension. The exposed section displays 1/1 and 2/2 timber sliding sash windows to the first floor, all windows featuring chamfered stone reveals. The bowed bay itself contains a tall transomed and mullioned window and stands on a tall projecting rubble stone plinth; a four-panelled door to the basement is flanked by windows on either side. The left section terminates in a circular tower. An eight-panelled door with pointed arched head and chamfered stone reveal provides basement access. The east elevation of the main block is relatively austere, containing two windows to each floor, and is abutted at its north corner by a tower.

The house occupies a demesne setting accessed from Templepatrick Main Street via the east lodge and main gate. Immediately south is a lawned garden with gravel forecourt. To the rear is a small paved stone courtyard, formerly containing kitchens (demolished around 1960), enclosed by a castellated roughcast wall with a tower to its north-east corner and accessed to the east via a round-headed arch with sandstone surround. The stable yard to the east, designed by Robert Adam, has been converted into housing. To the north-east stands an estate graveyard containing the Templeton Mausoleum, also designed by Adam.