Ballygally Castle
Encyclopedia
Ballygally Castle is in the village of Ballygally
, County Antrim
, Northern Ireland
, located approximately three miles north of Larne
. The castle
overlooks the sea at the head of Ballygally Bay. Now run as a hotel, it is the only 17th century building still used as a residence in Northern Ireland, and is reputed to be one of the most haunted places in the province.
led cylindrical tourelles with conical roofs on top. It was built with high walls, steep roof, dormer windows and corner turrets. The walls are five feet thick with loopholes for muskets. An open stream ran through the outer hall to provide water in case of siege.
, who had come to the area and rented the land from the Earl of Antrim for £24 a year.Over the main entrance door to the castle, leading to the tower, is the inscription "God is Providens is my Inheritans". The castle did come under attack, from the Irish garrison at Glenarm
, several times during the rebellion of 1641 but each assault was unsuccessful. The castle was owned by the Shaw family until it passed into the hands of William Shaw in 1799. He sold the estate for £15,400. In the 1950s the castle was bought by the carpet tycoon Cyril Lord
and was extended and renovated. It is now owned and run by the Hastings Hotels Group.
In 2003, owner Olga Henry had said after spending some time in the hotel, "I'm sort of very skeptical about the whole supernatural thing and ghosts. But the more I stay here and work here, the more I think there's definitely something in this hotel." According to Henry, one guest was staying in one of the rooms in the tower beneath the "Ghost Room" and in the middle of the night he awoke and thought he was at home and one of his children had laid a hand on his back. He woke up and said that he could a hear a child running about the room and laughing but nothing could be seen so he ran into the lobby in his boxers shorts in fright. In December 2003, Henry had set up the "Dungeon Room" in the tower as they were expecting guests and ordered the table neatly in preparation for meal. She locked the room and later checked up on it and the table was now a mess with unfolded napkins and glasses with an unusual scum around them were now arranged in a circle on the table.Mediums spending the night at the castle have often reported that they've detected more ghosts than there were guests actually staying at the hotel.
Ballygalley
Ballygalley or Ballygally is a village and holiday resort in County Antrim, Northern Ireland which lies on the Antrim coast, approximately 3 miles north of Larne...
, County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, located approximately three miles north of Larne
Larne
Larne is a substantial seaport and industrial market town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of 18,228 people in the 2001 Census. As of 2011, there are about 31,000 residents in the greater Larne area. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is...
. The castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
overlooks the sea at the head of Ballygally Bay. Now run as a hotel, it is the only 17th century building still used as a residence in Northern Ireland, and is reputed to be one of the most haunted places in the province.
Features
The castle is described as "a living postcard—a charming, almost teal-colored Scottish baronial castle overlooking the sea in Northern Ireland." It was strongly Scots influenced in style featuring corbelCorbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
led cylindrical tourelles with conical roofs on top. It was built with high walls, steep roof, dormer windows and corner turrets. The walls are five feet thick with loopholes for muskets. An open stream ran through the outer hall to provide water in case of siege.
History
The castle was built in 1625 by James Shaw, of ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, who had come to the area and rented the land from the Earl of Antrim for £24 a year.Over the main entrance door to the castle, leading to the tower, is the inscription "God is Providens is my Inheritans". The castle did come under attack, from the Irish garrison at Glenarm
Glenarm
Glenarm is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies on the North Channel coast north of the town of Larne and the village of Ballygalley, and south of the village of Carnlough. It had a population of 582 people in the 2001 Census. Glenarm takes it name from the glen in which it lies,...
, several times during the rebellion of 1641 but each assault was unsuccessful. The castle was owned by the Shaw family until it passed into the hands of William Shaw in 1799. He sold the estate for £15,400. In the 1950s the castle was bought by the carpet tycoon Cyril Lord
Cyril Lord
Cyril Lord was a British entrepreneur known principally for the manufacture of carpets during the 1960s. Born at Droylsden, Lancashire, Lord spent his early years living in a community of textile mill-workers....
and was extended and renovated. It is now owned and run by the Hastings Hotels Group.
Reputed hauntings
The castle is reputed to host a number of ghosts, the most active of which is the former resident, Lady Isobel Shaw, who has a habit of knocking the doors of the rooms and disappearing. She had reportedly fallen to her death from the window after her husband had locked in her room and starved her. Madame Nixon is another ghost who lived in the hotel in the 19th century and can be heard walking around the hotel in her silk dress.The small room in the corner turret of the castle is known as "The Ghost Room" and is not used as a room in the hotel.In 2003, owner Olga Henry had said after spending some time in the hotel, "I'm sort of very skeptical about the whole supernatural thing and ghosts. But the more I stay here and work here, the more I think there's definitely something in this hotel." According to Henry, one guest was staying in one of the rooms in the tower beneath the "Ghost Room" and in the middle of the night he awoke and thought he was at home and one of his children had laid a hand on his back. He woke up and said that he could a hear a child running about the room and laughing but nothing could be seen so he ran into the lobby in his boxers shorts in fright. In December 2003, Henry had set up the "Dungeon Room" in the tower as they were expecting guests and ordered the table neatly in preparation for meal. She locked the room and later checked up on it and the table was now a mess with unfolded napkins and glasses with an unusual scum around them were now arranged in a circle on the table.Mediums spending the night at the castle have often reported that they've detected more ghosts than there were guests actually staying at the hotel.
See also
- Castles in Northern IrelandCastles in Northern IrelandThe following is a partial list of castles in Northern Ireland:- County Antrim :* Antrim Castle * Ballycastle Castle* Ballygally Castle* Ballylough Castle* Belfast Castle* Carra Castle, ruins* Carrickfergus Castle, Restored Castle...
- List of castles in Ireland