Architectural fragment in Ballinglanna

This is a two-phased construction. At the west end is a lime kiln and onto the east side of this a folly castellated building has been added creating a façade which disguises the lime kiln as part of the folly. The front opening of the kiln has been blocked up but the funnel is still evident from above though the top of the kiln is partially covered by scrub and ivy. The folly building is now a shell and the top part of the front wall has fallen though it is clear that the top of the wall was battlemented- these survive where the wall still stands to full height though that part now covered by ivy. The building is built against a rock outcrop on its north side so that it is not a free-standing structure (typically lime kilns are built into sloping ground). The front façade consists of a central ground-floor door, flanked on its west side by the blocked-up kiln opening and on its east side by a star-shaped recess. On the first floor there is a window ope directly above the ground-floor door. This is flanked by two niches with bluntly-pointed arched heads. The inside of the door surround is a re-set 15th century two-centred pointed arched surround. The inwardly curve of the jamb stones show this to have been a doorway in a spiral stairs. There is a deep chamfered edge and on the east side a pyramidal stop-chamfer with a plain horizontal roll at its apex. Also of this date and matching both the door and the stones at the nearby well (CO075-094001-) is the surround of the single-light window directly above. The top of this is now covered by ivy but the ogee-head is clear as is a recessed spandrel (at last on the west side). These dressed stones must have come from a nearby tower house but there is no tradition or local information regarding this, nor is any castle marked in this location on the OS maps. Compiled by: Denis Power date of upload: 30 April 2013