Quintin
Castle is situated near the southern tip of the Ards
Peninsular, it is one of the few Norman castles
in Ireland that is still inhabited. It was built by John de Courcy in
1184, the property then came into the hands of the Savage family who were
of Norman descent.
In the 17th century Sir James Montgomery
a Scottish planter, who occupied the abbey lands at Greyabbey,
purchased the castle and lands from Dulaltaigh Smith a descendant of the
Savage's. Sometime before 1659 Montgomery's son William renovated the
castle, added a walled courtyard and built a large house adjacent to the
tower.
The Montgomery's sold Quintin Castle
to George Ross, who doesn't appear to have lived in it. By the early 19th
century it was in a state of near ruin, it was at this time that Elizabeth
Calvert (nee Blacker) inherited the castle.
In 1850 she made extensive restorations,
raising the central keep, added a drawing room opening into the garden
and a dining room was built in the great hall, at this time most of the
grounds were enclosed by a stone wall.
Local Tourist
Information
31 Regents Street
Newtownards
BT23 4AD
Co Down
Tel +44 (0)28 9182 6846
E Mail
Web Site
From the South replace 028 with 048 |
In
the early 1930's the estate was purchased by the Burgess family
who occupied it until the 1950's when it changed hands again, the
new owner was Skeets Martin a Belfast estate agent, who lived in
it with his wife until the early 1970's. In 1978 the castle was
opened as a private old peoples home. In 2005 local rumor had it
that Quintin Castle was up for sale and that Sean Connery of 007
fame had an interest in it.
Quintin Castle is privately
owned and not open to the public. |
|
