Ireland · Demolished
Rossmore Castle
Caisleán an Rosa Mhóir
Rossmore Castle was a 19th-century Gothic country-house-style castle on the outskirts of Monaghan in County Monaghan, Ireland, built in 1827 and remodelled in 1858. The composition included three towers, numerous gables and projecting oriel windows, and an extensively enlarged drawing room. The building fell into disrepair after the Second World War and was demolished in 1975.
Its prime
1890
Today
Demolished
As it stood in 1890
What Rossmore Castle looked like in its prime.
A large 19th-century Gothic country house of light grey ashlar with a highly irregular roofline: a dominant square crenellated tower with a small turret, a tall slender tower with a steep pyramidal spire, and a round corner tower capped by a domed lantern. The façade reads as a sequence of steep gables, projecting oriel windows and varied window openings (many different sizes and shapes), slate roofs and crenellated parapets facing a broad forecourt and lawn; intact and complete at its prime.
Its story
The story of Rossmore Castle.
Built for the 2nd Baron Rossmore, 1827, Remodelled 1858
Rossmore Castle, known also as Rossmore Park, stood on the outskirts of Monaghan in County Monaghan. It was a nineteenth-century country house built in the style of a castle, raised in 1827 for the 2nd Baron Rossmore to a Gothic design by the Irish architect William Vitruvius Morrison. A large square tower with a turret and crow-stepped battlements dominated the building, which carried a series of gables and oriel windows. In 1858 it was extended and remodelled by another Irish architect, William Henry Lynn.
The Rivalry Over the Largest Room in County Monaghan
Lord Rossmore and the Shirleys of Lough Fea competed for many years over which of them could boast the largest room in the county. As a result the drawing room at Rossmore was extended on five occasions, and the house ended up with three towers and more than 117 windows in at least 53 assorted sizes and shapes.
The 5th Baron, Lord Lieutenant of Monaghan 1897–1921
In the latter part of the century the house was known for its social gatherings and its gaiety, and Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, was a friend of the 5th Baron Rossmore. The 5th Baron was Lord Lieutenant of Monaghan from 1897 until his death in 1921, when he was succeeded by his son William, the 6th Baron.
Dry Rot, Demolition, and the Bequest of the Estate
After the Second World War dry rot forced the abandonment of the castle. The family moved to Camla Vale, a more modest Georgian house within the estate grounds, and Rossmore fell into ruins; it was demolished in 1975. Camla Vale was sold in 1962 and has since been demolished as well. On the death of Paddy Rossmore in 2021, 2,200 acres of the grounds and estate that made up the Rossmore Castle estate were bequeathed to An Taisce.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1890.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Rossmore Castle, including 1 interior: extended drawing room. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
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Recreate Rossmore Castle with AI to explore it.
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Clans who held Rossmore Castle.
The families that held Rossmore Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
Rossmore
Seat of the Barons Rossmore from its building in 1827 until the family moved to Camla Vale in the 1940s.
