Birr Castle

Birr Castle, formerly a Norman castle, dating from the start of the thirteenth century, home to the O'Carroll family from the fourteenth until the end of the sixteenth century, when it was sold to Ormond Butlers, was much altered during the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The façade was completed in c.1840. Central three-bay entrance block with flanking wings to north-east and south-west, three-storeys over basement to central block, two-storey over basement to flanking wings. Slate roof hidden behind crenellated parapet with cut stone and rendered chimneystacks, cast-iron and lead rainwater goods. Ashlar limestone façade with plinth course, cornice and crenellated parapet. Ruled-and-lined render to northern elevation, south-western elevation and rear. Variety of window openings including pointed-arched openings with tooled stone surrounds, hoodmouldings and cast-iron casement windows. Square-headed openings with tooled stone surround, mullions, transoms, hoodmoulding and timber sash windows. Triple round-headed opening with tooled stone surround, stone mullions and timber sash and fixed pane windows. Pointed-arched window openings to south-western elevation with tooled stone surrounds and decorative tracery. Central projecting full-height entrance bay with pointed-arched opening and crenellated parapet, Tudor arched porch containing recessed Tudor arched door opening with carved stone surround and timber battened double doors, surmounted by fanlight with stone tracery. Entrance accessed by limestone steps. Interior with open well yew staircase and dates between 1660 and 1681 and rises through three storeys with plaster Gothic ceiling above. Large saloon for music with Georgian Gothic vault on columns, built between 1805-12. Dining room with later nineteenth-century Gothic ceiling of curving tracery, remodelled c.1836-37.