Brittas Castle

Situated on flat terrain in Brittas Demesne. The original castle was burnt c.1820 (Bence-Jones 1988, 48, 293) and the landowner intended replacing it with a full-scale replica of Warwick Castle. This venture was started but never finished due to the tragic death of the landowner. A sketch of the original castle in the possession of the present landowner shows three towers, two square, one circular, with intervening buildings, possibly built onto the bawn wall (TN041-012002-). The towers are approximately four storeys high with crenellated battlements and hood-mouldings over flat-headed windows and may have been part of the bawn defences. The bawn was mentioned in the Civil Survey (1654-6) (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 55). There is now a nineteenth-century house built on the site. The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary. Vol. 1 - North Tipperary' compiled by Jean Farrelly and Caimin O'Brien (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 22 September 2008

Brittas Castle was built by the Bence-Jones family in the early 19th century on the site of an earlier castle that had been burnt around 1820. It is remembered for its ambitious design as a full-scale replica of Warwick Castle, reflecting the family's wealth and architectural aspirations.