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CASTLE, HOUSE OR ABBEY?





        Although we now say ‘Kylemore Abbey’, when it was completed in 1871 the
        building was first known as Kylemore Castle. It is now called Kylemore Abbey

        because it is home to the Benedictine nuns and their home is always called an
        abbey. Why was the name Kylemore ‘Castle’ chosen when it was built for the
        Henry family as a home?


        Originally a castle was a strong stone building with high walls designed to keep out invading enemies and
        their weapons. These types of castles were first built hundreds of years ago, as far back as the 10th century.
        This was known as the Medieval period.


                                    Battlements with crenels and merlons
















                 Windsor Castle                       Bunratty Castle                    Medieval Castles
                      1070                                1425


                                     What type of castle is Kylemore?


        Kylemore Castle was designed by an architect called James Franklin Fuller and an engineer called
        Samuel Usher Roberts; they used a style called  Baronial Gothic. This was based on the design of
        much  older  castles  from  the  Medieval  period  but  used  modern  engineering  and  materials.  In  the
        time  since  the  older,  defensive  castles,  most wealthy people  had been  living  in  grand  houses  built
        to  classical  design  principles,  but  in  the  Victorian  era,  a  style  modelled on  the  features  of  Medieval
        castles became popular. The name ‘castle’ came into fashion along with the turrets and castellations!




        To build Baronial Gothic castles some architectural details were borrowed from the past:
        • Battlements with crenels and merlons (tooth-shaped ledges from which soldiers could fire arrows and
           behind which they could hide during an attack)
        • Stone mullioned windows (vertical uprights that divide a window opening)
        • Mock arrow slits (Medieval castles had narrow windows for archers to shoot from)
        • Oriel Window (A window which protrudes from the building)
        • Turrets and Towers
        • High stone walls
        • Crow-step gable (a gable that forms a step-like pattern)
        • Coat of Arms over the front door
        • A flag with the family coat of arms flying from the roof
        • A big arched oak door





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