Greencastle Fort — Battery Brae

Freestanding multiple-bay defensive battery on complex irregular-plan, built 1811-14, comprising two-storey tower (on ovoid-plan) having tapered walls and with mountings for two guns to platform over, multiple-bay two-storey barracks buildings arranged around a courtyard to the north, lower courtyard to the south having former battery with flanking walls to the east and west with gun loop openings, and with sunken magazine to the centre of yard with earthen mound over. Main entrance to the south-west corner through integral round-headed carriage-arch, now blocked. Later in use as a hotel and visitor centre, now disused. Roof of corbelled ashlar limestone with inset cast-iron pivots and runners, ashlar sandstone parapet with sloped coping and segmental arched recesses. Pitched natural slate and flat felted roofs to former barracks with ashlar gable copings, skew blocks and cut stone eaves course. Battered ashlar sandstone walls to tower; painted roughcast rendered rubble stone walls to barracks and ancillary structures. Rubble stone defensive walls with gun loops to parapets and circular stair tower between upper and lower courtyard levels. Magazine to centre of yard. Timber fixed-pane window with stone reveals internally with brick elliptical vault with ‘murder hole’ over; timber sliding sash windows to barracks. Round-headed carriage-arch to the south-west, now blocked, having ashlar surround with projecting keystone dated ‘1812’. Set within own grounds on an elevated site overlooking Lough Foyle to the south. Located to the east end of Greencastle with remains of former fourteenth century Northburg Castle (see RMP DDG022-003----) adjacent to the south-west. Former defensive glacis to the north.