Desmond Castle
Castle/fortified house in Cork, Ireland, dating from 1490–1510
Freestanding three-bay three-storey tower house, commenced c.1500, abutting earthen terrace to rear. Attached cell blocks and exercise yards to rear (north-west) and platform to side (north-east). Historically used as magazine (1600-1601), as prison for foreign prisoners (1601-1790) and as borough jail (1791-1846). Restored in 1938 currently in use as museum. Pitched slate roof with rubble stone chimneystack behind crenellated dressed rubble stone parapet. Concealed gutters having square-headed drainage slots with drip stones to front (south-east) elevation and limestone drip course to side (north-east, south-west) elevations. Dressed rubble stone walls, battered to ground floor, chamfered square-headed recesses to side (south-west) elevation. Tooled limestone string course to top of ground floor. Tooled limestone armorial plaques to ground and first floors of front elevation. Square-headed mullioned windows to front and side (south-west) elevations including south-eastern corner lights. Ogee, round, trefoil and square-headed double lights having tooled stone surrounds, spandrels, chamfered and dressed sills, tooled mullions and label mouldings. Replacement timber framed windows with lead-lined glass. Square-headed window openings to side (north-east) elevation and ground floor of front elevation. Dressed limestone block-and-start surrounds and voussoirs with keystone to front
- Type:
- Castle/fortified house
- Period:
- 1490–1510
- Where:
- Cork, Ireland
- Coordinates:
- 51.71°N, 8.52°W
More places nearby
- Town/city walls (0.1 km)
- Saint Multose Church (Kinsale) (0.2 km)
- James's Fort (1.3 km)
- Store/warehouse (1.4 km)
- Charles Fort (2.2 km)
- Mount Long Castle (3.8 km)
- Pholas (SS) (8.8 km)
- Konakry (SS) (8.8 km)
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