Ashford Castle — Conga [Cong]

Planned formal garden, constructed c.1870 with some earlier features, surrounding Ashford Castle on all sides except east which is bounded by river. Enclosing walls of snecked rusticated limestone construction with crenellations, built to Gothic Revival style and incorporating crenellated turrets, battlements and 'Turkish' style domed tower and various gatehouses. Features of note include circular stone-lined fountain to south of house, large semi-circular battlement possibly dating to 1589 and Bingham era of ownership located to south-east corner of garden overlooking river and having rubble walls with ashlar quoins, lean-to rubble stone buttresses to first-stage, moulded string courses and later ashlar crenellations to exterior wall having chamfered coping to interior and single stone fish-mask spout to exterior. Battlement also features several lancet window openings with ashlar surrounds and chamfered sills with blind cruciform loops to exterior wall. Lancet-headed doors to interior wall having ashlar block-and-start surrounds giving access to the flagged interior. Pointed-arch gate opening to crenellated north-western gate flanked by single-stage turrets with corbelled parapets, having ashlar surround to opening with double-leaf wrought-iron gate. Square-headed door openings to turrets having ashlar surrounds and wrought-iron gates. Features are set within large lawned areas with mature trees, flower beds, shrubberies and hedgerows.