Ballinlough Castle — Ballinlough (delvin By.)

In the 17th century the townland of Ballinlough was known as 'Ballinglagbomile’ (Baile Locha na Bó Maoile, 'the town of the lake of the hornless cow'). In 1641 George Nugent was listed as the owner of 197 acres of land in Ballinlough and is described in the Down Survey as an ‘Irish Papist’. George was related to William Nugent of 'Ballynloghneboymoyle' who died on 1st of November 1625 and who was married to Katherine Fay (Anon. 1826, 7 Car I). No castle is depicted on the 1655 Down Survey maps of Delvin Barony or Killua Parish (NLI MS 723-4). In 1837 the castle was described as ‘the seat of Sir J. Nugent, Bart., is in a demesne of 300 acres’ (Lewis 1837, 155). The Irish Georgian Society described Ballinlough Castle as 'an amalgam of structures and renovations made in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The main seven bays of the front façade date to the mid-early 1600s, though its three-bay breakfront was added at the close of the 1700s. At the same time a Gothic extension was made to the north. The extension is only one bay to the front façade though it possesses a tower. This tower is matched on its responding end and in total the extension is six bays’ length. The original and extended portions of the castle form a nine bay rear façade which is irregular due to a bell tower and one-storey conservatory which have been attached. The castle is two floors with an attic storey and maintains imposing castellations. Tall Georgian, timber sash windows and lime dashed stone walls provide elegance along with the Gothic detail of the towers’ arched window frames. The arched tympanum and coat of arms in the breakfront complete the impressive entrance façade'. Described by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as following; ‘Detached seven-bay two-storey country house, built or rebuilt c. 1740, with advanced three-bay two-storey section to the centre of the entrance front (west). Possibly incorporating the fabric of an earlier fortified house, built c.1600. Modified, c.1790, with addition of a third floor/attic storey to advanced breakfront to west entrance front. Extended, c.1790, with the addition of a four-bay two-storey Gothic wing to the north end having three-storey turrets on circular plan to the northwest and northeast corners. Pitched natural slate roofs hidden behind raised castellated parapets (erected c.1790). Large rendered chimneystack to the north with a Tudor Gothic-style chimneystack to the south end. Roughcast rendered walls with projecting dressed limestone string courses to the main façade (west). Cut stone plaque/coat of arms, dated 1617, to centre of third floor/attic storey to advanced breakfront. Parapet constructed of rubble limestone. It has been suggested that perhaps Wyatt or, more convincingly, Thomas Wogan Browne were responsible for this later remodelling. Indeed, the later had family connections with Hugh O'Reilly, the owner of Ballinlough Castle at the time. The carved coat of arms, dated 1614, and the Tudor Gothic chimneystack to the south end suggest that this present structure may contain the fabric of an earlier fortified house on or close to this site’ (www.buildingsofireland.ie). Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 3 November 2011