Castle Neynoe
Co. Sligo
This grainy black and white picture was taken in the
1920s
is the only photograph that survives of the castle before
its roof was
removed in the 1930s.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Kearns whom the copyright is credited to
The entrance front of the castle has been decimated
since some
of its materials were re-used in the building of a local school.
Accreditation- Photograph
by Ellie Ross
A drawing of how the original exterior of the entrance
front of Castle Neynoe
once appeared. The two-storey main block of the building
had a projecting
central tower and was flanked on either side by single storey
wings.
Accreditation- Picture
by David Hicks
Castle Neynoe is not
a large house in comparison with other mansions but should be recorded for the
curiosity of having all the features of a castle but on a much-reduced scale. The
house is described as a three bay, two-storey over basement mansion with a
central projecting tower. The house was built on the site of an earlier castle
or fort in the 1790s and was designed with a Regency Gothic influence. The
facades of the house are decorated with crenellations, arched windows and gothic
crosses together with hood mouldings above regular sash windows. It was
designed by Robert Robinson and his signed but undated architectural drawings
still exist today. A flight of curved steps that wrapped around the base of the
projecting curved tower led to the front door of the house. Once inside you
would have found yourself in an elliptical hallway with niches on either side
of an archway that lead to the inner hall. This area of the house contained the
main staircase that was lit by a tall window on the half landing. The house was
made up of four reception rooms which included two drawing rooms on the entry
level and five modest bedrooms on the floor above. An adjoining single storey
wing incorporated a cellar while the basement of the main block of the house
contained the kitchen. It is said that there was once a glasshouse attached to
Castle Neynoe which was located on the south side of the house overlooking the wooded
landscaped grounds. The rear of the building overlooked a courtyard that was
surrounded by the various outbuildings that served the needs of the household. The
entrance gates and lodge to the demesne still exist but like the main building,
they are clinging to some vestige of their former appearance. Three sets of
gates are arranged among four pillars, the large central gates provided access
for a horse and cart while the smaller gates on either side provided access for
workers, servants and the occupants of the gate lodge. The lodge has a hipped
roof and is a simple building bearing little resemblance to the main house
found at the end of the long winding avenue. Here, Castle Neynoe faced the mountains
and overlooked the landscaped grounds that for a time included a lake which was
drained in later years
The ruined remains of the Neynoe family mausoleum in
the
nearby Kiltycloghan graveyard. This monument which dates from 1828 should
be restored as many of its original pieces lie scattered on the ground.
The
Neynoe family crest is featured on the surviving end of the structure.
Accreditation- Picture
by David Hicks
