Castle — tower house in Tullystown

Depicted as a tower house type castle in the townland of Ballintullagh [Tullystown] on the 1657 Down Survey map of Fore Barony (NLI, MS 723-4). The terrier of the 1657 Down Survey recorded that the owner of the castle and lands of Ballintullagh [Tullystown] in 1641 was James Nugent who is listed as an English Protestant (ibid.). The remains of a poorly preserved rectangular-shaped tower house (approx. int. dims. 6m N-S x 4.8m E-W) survives in the farmyard to the S of Tullystown House. All that remains upstanding are the S and W walls of the tower house which have been incorporated into a range of post-1700 farm buildings. The tower house may have stood three storeys high and has rounded corners visible on the SW angle with a base batter visible on the W wall (L 7.2m; H c. 7m; wall T 1.2-1.4m). No windows visible in the ground floor of the upstanding walls, a niche is visible in the S wall. A broken out fireplace and chimney flue has been inserted into the internal face of the S wall (L 8.5m; H c. 7m) in a second building phase. At first floor level there is evidence of a blocked-up window in the W wall. The chimney flue of the inserted fireplace cuts across an original window of which a single window splay still survives in the S wall at first floor level. Cut-stone from the tower house has been re-used in the construction of the post-1700 farm buildings. A square-headed slit window of 15th or 16th century style has been re-used in one of the farm buildings. It has been suggested that the walled garden to the W of the tower house incorporates portions of the original bawn wall (WM001-014001-). To the N of the castle is Tullystown House, an early 19th century house of 2 storeys over a basement 3 bays with a central breakfront & good doorway with fanlight & sidelights. Compiled by: Frank Coyne and Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 16 November 2016