Kilwaughter Castle, Kilwaughter, Larne, Co Antrim

Kilwaughter Castle is a ruined country house in the castle style, built in 1807 to designs by the architect John Nash for Edward Jones, who adopted his grandfather's surname of Agnew on inheriting the Kilwaughter Estate. The building also incorporates the substantial remains of a 17th century Plantation castle at its core. Nash's remodelling continued for some years and was not complete until at least 1830; the firm of Millar and Nelson of Belfast were also recorded as architects, and the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1840 name Nash as chief architect. The building is of international significance as one of a small number of surviving works by Nash in Northern Ireland, and of considerable local interest as a large country estate. The 17th century core is itself a rare surviving example of a structure from that period, albeit now in ruins. The entire complex is recorded as derelict and also constitutes a scheduled monument.

The castle sits at the centre of a still-recognisable demesne, on gently sloping open grassland that rises to higher hills to the north and west. Farm buildings stand immediately to its rear, and a modern house lies adjacent to the south-west. A 13th century motte lies nearby, adding further historical depth to a site occupied across many centuries. The architectural interest of the castle is enhanced by its association with a group of related structures, including its front entrance gate screen and lodge and its former ice house, all of which together illustrate the workings of a large country estate.

The building is an asymmetrical composition typical of the castle style, with tower forms of varying shapes and heights juxtaposed against lower connecting blocks. The whole is built in ruinous condition. It comprises several conjoined blocks of different storey heights, incorporating square, circular, and octagonal towers, with corner bartizan turrets and crenellations throughout. The main entrance faces south.

THE SOUTH FRONT

The south front consists of a three-storey block three windows wide, which is the original 17th century Plantation castle. To its left is a single-storey wing in the same plane, terminating in a three-storey square tower set back behind. To the right of the central block is a canted entrance bay, abutting a large three-storey circular tower at the corner with the east façade. A single-storey entrance porch occupies the angle between the canted bay and the circular corner tower.

The wall finish throughout the south front is smooth cement render, lined, but damaged or missing in places. The three-storey central block has a render finish of dull ochre colour, though the original basalt rubble walling is exposed at the base. A crenellated parapet sits above a coved sandstone string course, with two crenellations now missing. A circular bartizan turret to the left-hand corner is smooth rendered with narrow crenellations, partly damaged, and rises from moulded sandstone corbel courses; it has a narrow blind vertical slit in imitation of a window. Windows in the main wall of this block are rectangular to the ground and first floors, and square to the top floor. Tudor-style rectangular drip mouldings originally framed the windows, though some are now damaged, revealing brick window heads. The sandstone cills are elaborately carved with scrolling leafage, but two cills are missing on the ground floor — at the central and right-hand windows. No window frames or glazing remain.

The single-storey wing to the left has a smooth cement render of a grey tone, missing in places to reveal a core of red brickwork. The parapet crenellations have plain unmoulded copings. There is a rectangular three-light window opening with rendered brick mullions, and originally a Tudor-style rectangular drip moulding, now damaged to reveal a deep timber window head that is now rotting. The wall returns back for three crenellations to meet the front face of the recessed square end tower.

The square tower is built of basalt rubble, originally finished with smooth cement render, now mostly lost to reveal red brick dressings around a rectangular ground floor doorway and a rectangular first floor window opening, both now missing their door and window frames. A narrow vertical slit to the second floor is blocked with red and yellow brickwork. The parapet crenellations have slate weatherings, carried on three slate corbel courses. A remnant of a cast iron downpipe is still fixed to the parapet.

The canted bay to the right of the three-storey central block has a similar wall finish, crenellations, and coved string course to the central block, but rises only two storeys. There is a rectangular window opening to the first floor with a drip moulding and carved sandstone cill matching those elsewhere. In the west-facing side wall of the bay, at the corner with the central block, is a rectangular ground floor doorway opening, dressed in red brickwork with a timber head visible where the render is missing.

The circular corner tower at the right-hand extremity is three storeys high, finished in render of dull ochre tone with a battered base; the render at the base is badly damaged, revealing basalt and limestone rubble walling. The crenellated parapet is in damaged condition and is carried on machicolated sandstone corbels. Rectangular window openings have drip mouldings and carved sandstone cills matching those elsewhere, though the first two ground floor windows from left to right are now missing their cills. The second window from the left at second floor level is blind, blocked with original basalt rubble. The extreme right-hand ground floor window, which also forms part of the east façade, is likewise blind, blocked with original basalt rubble and brickwork, though it still retains its original timber window frame and some glazing bars.

The entrance porch and vestibule, facing south, are built of snecked basalt, with some areas of smooth cement outer render, lined, still remaining, and some areas of rough preparatory render also surviving. The entrance takes the form of a Tudor arch in moulded sandstone, partly damaged to the right-hand reveal, set within a segmental basalt arch. A projecting sandstone string course of circular profile runs to each side of the entrance and returns into the reveals. Flanking each side of the entrance is a blind recessed panel in the shape of a medieval arrow-loop. In the west-facing side wall of the vestibule is a rectangular window opening, now without cill or drip moulding.

THE EAST ELEVATION

The east elevation comprises the large circular three-storey corner tower at the left-hand extremity, as already described, with a two-storey block of five bays at ground floor and three bays at first floor abutting it to the right. Beyond that is a further two-storey block of three bays, set well back behind a screen wall and terminating in an octagonal tower on a square base.

The circular corner tower has a rectangular basement window at its junction with the abutting two-storey block. That two-storey block is built of roughly squared basalt in rough courses, originally covered with smooth cement render, lined and blocked, much of which has fallen away. The wall plane breaks forward slightly to the right of the third ground floor window from the right. A projecting coved sandstone string course runs along the top of the wall, surmounted by plain crenellations in cement render; both string course and crenellations are partly broken away. A circular bartizan turret to the right-hand extremity has moulded sandstone corbel courses carrying a red brick core with smooth cement render, now mostly fallen away; fragments of blue slates remain fixed to the brickwork of the bartizan. Window openings are rectangular, with Tudor-style drip mouldings intact only on the extreme left-hand ground floor window. Original carved sandstone cills survive to the first floor and to the extreme right ground floor window. That extreme right ground floor window also retains a remnant of original Gothic tracery in wood, partly damaged, set in front of the original window frame and sash boxes.

The second window from the left at ground floor level was originally an oriel window. It still retains moulded sandstone corbels to the underside of the oriel, as well as a remnant of moulded sandstone framing to one side and a cantilevered ironwork hoop to the head of the oriel. A small Gothic lancet between the corbels lights the basement. To the left of the oriel corbels is a rectangular basement window opening with splayed sandstone reveals. To the right of the oriel corbels, a basement window opening has been later enlarged by the wall being roughly broken through. To the right of that are two further rectangular basement window openings with moulded surrounds.

The set-back two-storey block is built of basalt rubble with a coved sandstone string course and a plain parapet with all but the end crenellations now missing. Three rectangular window openings all have Tudor-style projecting drip mouldings and carved sandstone cills. Brick and stone dressings survive to the jambs, with the original external render finish now lost.

The octagonal tower rises in three stages above a square ground storey, all built of basalt rubble with a smooth rendered finish. A plain projecting sandstone platband separates the ground and first floors; a coved string course runs between the first and second floors; a circular moulded string course separates the second and third floors; and a machicolated sandstone cornice is surmounted by sandstone crenellations, with most crenellations to the top of the third storey now missing. To the front face of the first floor is a rectangular window opening with a carved sandstone cill of geometric pattern and a Tudor-style drip moulding. To each side of this window, on the angled faces of the tower, is a splayed angle buttress. The front face of the second floor has a quatrefoil window opening with a chamfered sandstone surround, with blind recessed arrow-loop panels to each side on the angled faces. The third floor has a round-headed lancet with chamfered reveals, a carved sandstone cill of geometric pattern, and a semi-circular drip moulding.

The ground floor of the octagonal tower and its adjoining two-storey block are hidden behind a screen wall set back only slightly from the main two-storey block. This screen wall is one storey high, of unrendered basalt rubble, with a parapet of large crenellations. It extends well past the line of the octagonal tower to terminate in a slightly projecting square end tower that originally functioned as a pigeon house. The end tower has a crenellated parapet, though its upper half is much overgrown by branches of a tree growing up against the face of the screen wall. To the left of this tree, in line with the right-hand extremity of the octagonal tower, is a segmental arched opening blocked up with basalt rubble. The north face of the end tower is blank. The west face has a rectangular window in a flat arch to the ground floor, later blocked by brickwork, with the storey above now broken open and ruinous. The south face has a low doorway opening in a flat arch. The upper area of the interior walls contains square-shaped recesses for pigeons.

Extending westwards from the pigeon tower is a rubble stone wall with a kitchen court behind it. The kitchen court boundaries are formed by the rubble stone screen wall and pigeon tower to the east; the tall octagonal tower to the south, built up against but not quite touching the eastern screen wall; a rubble stone wall to the north, finished in smooth cement render of deteriorated quality; and a series of roofless single-storey outbuildings to the west, built of rubble greystone with flat arches to doorway and window heads, with some brick dressings to an extension at the south end.

THE NORTH ELEVATION

The north elevation, from left to right, begins with the octagonal tower as previously described, mainly unfenestrated to its north and west faces except for some plain rectangular window openings. A massive battered angle buttress to the north-west corner, probably a later addition, is built of large roughly squared basalt blocks, with a rendered finish to its south face.

To the right of the octagonal tower, the two-storey rendered rubble rear elevation of the 19th century house steps back in two stages, surmounted by a crenellated parapet with copings that appear to be of stoneware, with the rear of the original 17th century castle set back beyond that. The rear elevation of the 17th century castle has a smooth cement render finish with 19th century crenellations to the parapet, but the walls to each side of a rectangular stair projection have mostly fallen. The rear elevation of the east end of the main block retains a rendered finish projecting where it covers a portion of an original 17th century bartizan built of chalk rubble. At the west end of the main block, a portion of wall supporting a bartizan turret at its north-west corner is still standing, built of limestone rubble to the lower area, with cement render still intact to the upper area and the bartizan.

Extending to the right of the original 17th century castle is the blank rear wall of the west wing, separated from the 17th century castle by a deep crack. It is surmounted by crenellations and terminates in the square tower at the right-hand extremity already described on the entrance front. Tower walling is of basalt rubble with lime mortar, finished with smooth cement render, lined and blocked, much of it now missing. There is a rectangular doorway opening to the ground floor with a derelict 20th century door loosely fixed in position, a rectangular window opening to the left of the door without a cill, and a rectangular window opening with a plain sandstone cill and remnants of a small-paned timber sash still in position at first floor level. The parapet crenellations match those on the other faces.

THE WEST ELEVATION

To the extreme left of the west elevation is the rubble stone rear wall of the single-storey kitchen court outbuildings, blank except for a brick-dressed rectangular open doorway at the north end and a bricked-up window at the south end. Vertical breaks in the masonry indicate three different phases of building. The rest of the west elevation has similar elements to the north, except for the view of a circular bartizan turret of rendered red brick on moulded corbel courses to the rear elevation of the east wing, similar in form and detail to the bartizans already described.

At the northern and western extremities of the building, boundary walls extend to enclose or link with farm buildings in the farmyard to the north. Extending north from the kitchen court is a rubble stone wall linking with the easternmost block of farm buildings. Extending north from the square tower at the westernmost end of the south façade is a storey-high basalt rubble wall, which may be part of the original 17th century bawn wall, as suggested by Jope, and which still retains some later cement render on its inner face. The wall returns westward as a boundary wall of basalt rubble and boulders with a limestone core, with a number of holes at high level and several cast iron ties appearing; it is in a partly ruinous state and may also be part of the original 17th century bawn wall, though Jope did not consider it to be so. Collapse is apparent at the east end, with rubble strewn inside the yard. The rear face of the wall, facing into the yard, incorporates some large boulders as well as an unidentifiable rounded pier-like projection. A lean-to building formerly built against this inner face has been removed.

Well to the west is a Tudor-style archway of dressed sandstone, now closed by a later low rubble wall surmounted by iron railings comprising wrought iron upright bars with decorative cast iron crestings. To the west of the Tudor archway, the wall continues and curves southward, and together with a correspondingly curved detached wall beyond, forms an open entrance to two farm yards.

THE 17TH CENTURY CASTLE

The precise date and origin of the Plantation castle at the core of the building are uncertain. When first exposed following the onset of dereliction in the 1950s, it was identified as being of T-plan, four storeys in height, in the Scottish style, with corbelled bartizan turrets at the four main corners, originally with narrow slit windows that were later enlarged, and with a staircase of scale-and-plat type in a central projection to the north. Its original entrance lay adjacent to the stairs, in the north-east re-entrant angle. It may be compared with Ballygally Castle, the other Scottish-style tower house in the district, which is dated 1625.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

The castle was designed by John Nash and constructed in 1807 for Edward Jones, who adopted his grandfather's surname of Agnew on succeeding to the Kilwaughter Estate. Nash's remodelling and expansion of the original Plantation castle continued for some years. The oriel window on the east front was added no earlier than 1830. The Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1840 record Nash as the chief architect, though the Belfast firm of Millar and Nelson were also employed as architects. Old photographs show that Nash's remodelling originally included elaborate Gothic-style timber tracery in all the main windows on the south and east fronts. The single-storey block on the south front was inserted between the original 17th century castle and the square end tower at some point between 1832 and 1857.

On Edward Jones Agnew's death in 1834, ownership passed to his granddaughter, who married her music teacher, an Italian named Balzani. On the death of Count Ugo Balzani in 1916, the property passed to his daughters, Madame Gwendoline Valensin of Florence and her sister Signorina Nora Balzani of Rome. At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, with the sisters resident in Italy, Kilwaughter Castle was declared enemy property by the Custodian of Enemy Property and was converted into an army camp. Various British regiments were based there before it became an American Transit Camp. It was occupied by the military until 1945 and then abandoned. In 1951 it was purchased by E.H. McConnell (Metals) Ltd of Belfast, who bought it in order to recover lead, woodwork, slates, and other fittings. Thereafter it was left to decay.

The building incorporates Scheduled Monument no. ANT 40:8, and its grounds include Scheduled Monuments nos. ANT 40:7 and ANT 40:46.