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The Great Britain Guide

Castles · Northern Ireland

Ballygally Castle

Tudor & Stuart♿ Wheelchair: limited

Ballygally Castle — castle in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Ballygally Castle, castles in Northern Ireland

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1.5 h–3 h
Nearest railway station
Carnfunnock Family Fun Zone Miniature Railway · 1.6 km
  • Family-friendly
  • Limited wheelchair access

About

Ballygally Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Records date its origin to 1649. Heritage designation: Grade A listed building. Address: BT40 2QZ. Wikidata describes it as: "castle in County Antrim, Northern Ireland". Coordinates: 54.8990°, -5.8617°.

Photo gallery

From the Wikipedia article

Ballygally Castle is in the village of Ballygally, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, located approximately 3 miles (5 kilometres) north of Larne. The castle overlooks the sea at the head of Ballygally Bay. It is now run as a hotel and is reputed to be one of the most haunted places in Ulster.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The castle was built in 1625 by James Shaw of Scotland, who had come to the area and rented the land from Randal MacDonnell, the Catholic Earl of Antrim for £24 a year. Although it is sometimes claimed to be the oldest occupied building in Ireland, Castle Upton is somewhat older. Over the main entrance door to the castle, leading to the tower, is the Middle Scots inscription "Godis Providens is my Inheritans". During the Great Rebellion of 1641, the Irish garrison stationed at Glenarm tried to take the castle, then more fortified than today, several times but without success. In the late 1730s, the Shaw children were tutored by the later pioneering educator and master of a Belfast "play…

Architecture

The rectangular Scottish baronial-style castle has four storeys, walls of about 1.5 metres thick, four corner turrets and a flanking tower at the northeast side with an entrance and stone spiral stairs. Originally it was enclosed by a bawn with four corner turrets. In the 1840s, the side nearest the sea was removed to accommodate the new coast road. <gallery> File:Ballygally Castle Turret Room.jpg|Turret Room File:Ballygally Castle staircase.jpg|Staircase File:Ballgally Castle Ghost Room.jpg|Ghost Room File:Ballgally Castle Plaque.jpg|Plaque </gallery>

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
54.8990, -5.8617
Postcode
BT40 2QZ
Parliamentary constituency
East Antrim
Established
1649
Nearest railway station
Carnfunnock Family Fun Zone Miniature Railway1.6 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Ballygally Castle?
Ballygally Castle is in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (postcode BT40 2QZ).
When was Ballygally Castle built?
Built or established in 1649.
Who owns Ballygally Castle?
Ballygally Castle is owned by | current_tenants =.
Is Ballygally Castle a listed building?
Ballygally Castle is officially recognised as Grade A listed building listed.
Does Ballygally Castle charge admission?
Ballygally Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
How do I get to Ballygally Castle?
The nearest railway station is Carnfunnock Family Fun Zone Miniature Railway, about 1.6 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode BT40 2QZ.