Audley's Castle

{{Infobox military installation

|name=Audley's Castle

|partof=

|location=Strangford, County Down, Northern Ireland

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|image=Audley's Castle, closeup.jpg

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|caption=Audley's Castle

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|type=Castle

|code=

|built=15th century

|builder=

|materials=Stone

|height=

|used=15th century – ?

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|open_to_public=

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Audley's Castle is a 15th-century castle located 1 mile (1.6 km) north-east of Strangford, County Down, Northern Ireland, on a rocky height overlooking Strangford Lough.{{cite book | last=Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland| year=1983 |title=Historic Monuments of Northern Ireland | publisher=HMSO | location=Belfast | pages=97–98}} It is a three-storey Tower house named after its 16th century owner, John Audley.{{cite book | last=Harbinson, P| year=1992 |title=Guide to National and Historic Monuments of Ireland | publisher=Gill & Macmillan | location=Dublin | pages=105–106}} Audley's Castle tower house and bawn is a State Care Historic Monument in the townland of Castleward, in Down District Council area, at grid ref: J5781 5058.{{cite web | title=Audley's Castle | work=Environment and Heritage Service NI – State Care Historic Monuments | url=http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/state_care_monuments_2007.pdf | accessdate=4 December 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722033155/http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/state_care_monuments_2007.pdf | archive-date=22 July 2012 | url-status=dead }}

There are thousands of small stone towers similar to Audley's Castle in the Irish countryside. They are one of the commonest of archaeological sites, which indicates these were not buildings put up for the higher aristocracy, but for lesser lords and gentry. Most were built in the late Middle Ages (roughly 1350–1550). Audley's was built towards the end of this period.{{cite web | title=Audley's Castle, Co Down | work=Chrono Centre, QUB | url=http://www.chrono.qub.ac.uk/local/down/towerhouse.html | accessdate=7 June 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804165336/http://www.chrono.qub.ac.uk/local/down/towerhouse.html | archive-date=4 August 2008 | url-status=dead }} {{circular reference|date=May 2021}}

Features

Audley's Castle consists of a tower set within a yard (technically known as a bawn) which is enclosed by a thin wall, with a simple gate.{{cite book | last = Flanagan | first = Laurence | title = A Dictionary of Irish Archaeology | publisher = Gill and Macmillan, Dublin | year = 1992 | page = 21 }}{{cite book | last = Fry | first = Plantagenet Somerset | title = Castles of Britain and Ireland | publisher = David and Chambers, Newton Abbot | year = 2001 | page = 196 }}{{cite book | last=Donnelly, CJ| year=1997 |title=Living Places; Archaeology, Continuity and Change at Historic Monuments in Northern Ireland | publisher=Institute of Irish Studies, QUB | location=Belfast | pages=100–102}}

The tower has one main room on each floor, with one or two subsidiary rooms off each of the big ones. The ground floor has small windows and no fireplace or latrine and was for storage of provisions. The first floor has better windows, a large fireplace and access to a latrine; this was a room for the owner to live in and entertain his friends. It also has a chute for throwing dirty water away, so the large fireplace was also probably used for cooking on. The second floor was probably the lord's private room for sleeping and his family life: servants and others could be accommodated in the attic.

There is very little historical information about the buildings in the small courtyard around Audley's. Only a minority of towers had courtyard walls at all, and their buildings were clearly less important than the tower. The towers in different parts of the country vary, with distinct regional patterns. Audley's with its two turrets linked by an arch is one of a type found in County Down only.

History

Audley castle is a ruin which once stood as a tower constructed in the 15th century which now lies on the ground of Castle Ward, owned by Viscount Bangor. The area was established by the Irish Normans, and given to a knight named John de Courcy in 1177. In 1646 the castle was bought by the Ward family and a 3-story tower castle was built and named after John Audley. Nearby was a town named Audleystown, until the locals were sent to America by the Ward family in the 1850s. The castle is now a public park{{cite web|url=https://www.castles.nl/audley-castle|website=castles.nl|title=Audley's Castle|access-date=24 November 2021}}

=Filming location=

During the filming of the TV series Game of Thrones, the castle ruins were twice used as a set, once for an encampment at the scenes for the 'battle of camps'. And another as a backdrop to the Twins', Frey residence in the 'Red wedding' in season 3, episode 9.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/game-of-thrones-classic-film-locations/index.html|publisher=CNN|title= 10 Game of thrones filming locations|access-date=19 May 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/game-of-thrones-ireland-filming-locations/|website=findingtheuniverse.com|title=A GUIDE TO THE GAME OF THRONES FILMING LOCATIONS IN NORTHERN IRELAND|access-date=11 November 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/game-of-thrones-episodes-major-plot-twists/|website=screenrant.com|title=Game of Thrones: Which Episode Was The Red Wedding? (& 9 Other Episodes With Major Plot Twists)|access-date =4 August 2020}}

Gallery

Image:Audley's Castle (10), August 2009.JPG|Audley's Castle, August 2009

Image:Audley's Castle, through trees.jpg|Audley's Castle

References

External links

[http://irishantiquities.bravehost.com/down/audleystown/audleys_castle.html Irish Antiquities – Photographs of Audley's Castle]

Category:Castles in County Down

Category:Ruined castles in Northern Ireland

Category:Houses completed in the 15th century

Category:Tower houses in Northern Ireland