- Ardgillan Castle
Ardgillan Castle is a large country house in
Balbriggan ,County Dublin , set in the convert|200|acre|km2|sing=on Ardgillan Demesne.Featuring castellated embellishments, the building overlooks Barnageera Beach, the
Irish Sea andSkerries . The castle consists of two storeys over a basement, which extends under the south lawns.Ardgillan Demesne is a popular local park with a mix of woodlands and large grass open spaces. The park contains a walled herb garden, rose garden, Victorian conservatory, tea rooms and an ice house . A children's playground was added in 2006. Ardgillan Castle provides guided tours and hosts exhibitions throughout the years.
History
The house was built by the Reverend Robert Taylor in 1738. The house remained in the Taylor family until 1962 when the estate to Heinrich Potts of Westphalia.
In 1982 the estate was sold to
Fingal County Council , and it is now open to the public.Trivia
The ghost of a woman was believed to haunt the bridge (known locally as The Lady's Stairs) that exists over the nearby railway line at the end of the garden. The bridge was damaged by a truck strike in 2006 and was eventually renovated and reopened in 2007.
In 2005 the estate was host to a number of open air concerts in the summer time. Pop artists who have played here include
Moby , REM,Meat Loaf andStatus Quo . No more concerts have been held at the venue since and it still remains to be seen if the County Council plans to host any in the future.External links
* [http://www.fingalcoco.ie/LeisureandTourism/ParksHeritageProperties/ArdgillanCastle/ Ardgillan Castle on Fingal County Council's website]
* [http://www.ardgillanskerries.com/ Ardgillan Castle Skerries Website]
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