Quoile Castle

Quoile Castle is a castle situated 1.5 miles (2.4km) from ( Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland, just off the main road from Downpatrick to Strangford, on the east bank of the River Quoile. It is a 16th century Tower house which was inhabited into the 18th century.cite book | last=Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland| year=1983 |title=Historic Monuments of Northern Ireland | publisher=HMSO | location=Belfast | pages=p107] Quoile Castle tower house is a State Care Historic Monument in the townland of Quoile, in Down District Council area, at grid ref: J4963 4701. [cite web | title=Quoile Castle | work=Environment and Heritage Service NI - State Care Historic Monuments | url=http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/state_care_monuments_2007.pdf | accessdate=2007-12-04]

Features

The south corner of the building has fallen down and shows a cross-section of the castle. In the north east wall the doorway has been rebuilt and gives access to a straight mural stairway. This is protected by murder-holes at the bottom and at the top. The inner doorway at the ground floor opens into a chamber with a stone vault and many small gun-loops. Beyond this is a second similar chamber. The first floor has two rooms and one of them has a fireplace. The second floor is reached by another straight stairway within the north west wall. There is another fireplace at this level.

Finds

In 1986 seven silver sixpence pieces dating from the time of Elizabeth I were found at the castle. [cite book | last=Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland| year=1988 |title=Pieces of the Past | publisher=HMSO | location=Belfast | pages=p97]

See also

*Castles in Northern Ireland

References