Clan Rising
Slade Castle today

Ireland · Restored

Slade Castle

Caisleán an tSlaoid

Slade Castle is a late medieval tower house and adjoining two-storey hall on the Hook Peninsula in County Wexford, Ireland. Primarily built by the Laffin family in the late 15th and 16th centuries, it served as a fortified residence overlooking Bannow Bay and Waterford Harbour and was later restored in the 20th century as a National Monument.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1550

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1550

What Slade Castle looked like in its prime.

A squat four-storey rectangular tower attached to a lower two-storey rectangular hall, both rising from an unadorned stone base. The tower terminates in a crenellated parapet with characteristic Irish-style merlons; narrow slit windows pierce the thick walls. The hall carries a matching crenellated roofline and a large west-end fireplace. The main entrance is set beneath a projecting machicolation and murder-hole. The castle sits close to the shoreline, facing Bannow Bay and Waterford Harbour, fully roofed and intact.

Its story

The story of Slade Castle.

The original fort at Slade was built by the Laffan family in the late 15th century, on the Hook Peninsula overlooking Bannow Bay and Waterford Harbour, views that mattered for defence. The earliest part is the four-storey tower, with vaulted ceilings on the ground and third floors and Irish crenellations on the parapet; the entrance doorway is protected by a machicolation and murder-hole, and a fireplace and garderobe survive on the second level.

The adjoining hall is two storeys tall, its entrance likewise guarded by a murder-hole, with a large fireplace at the west end, an oubliette in the south wall and a mural staircase to the upper floor. The three ground-floor rooms of the tower cannot be entered from the living quarters above and may have been used as warehouses. Restored in the 20th century, Slade Castle is a National Monument.

Step inside

10 places to explore in 1550.

The record describes 10 distinct spots at Slade Castle, including 6 interiors: tower ground-floor vaulted room (storage), tower third-floor vaulted chamber, tower second-floor living room with fireplace and garderobe and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach from the village roadSeaward view from Bannow BayEntrance and machicolationParapet battlements overlooking the harbourTower ground-floor vaulted room (storage)Tower third-floor vaulted chamberTower second-floor living room with fireplace and garderobeHall interior at the west-end fireplaceOubliette in the hall's south wallMural staircase to the upper floor

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The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1550, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.

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Whose castle

Clans who held Slade Castle.

The families that held Slade Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Laffan

    Built by the Laffan family in the late 15th century; their fortified residence through the 16th.

Questions about Slade Castle

What is the history of Slade Castle?

Slade Castle was first built as a fortified residence by the Laffin family in the late 15th century. The adjoining two-storey hall was added in the 16th century, with the castle overlooking Bannow Bay and Waterford Harbour for defence. After the Laffins lost it following the 1641 Rebellion, it was used for storage and later converted into tenement housing before restoration in the 1940s.

What is inside Slade Castle?

Inside Slade Castle are vaulted rooms in the tower, including a ground-floor storage room and a third-floor chamber. The second-floor living room retains a fireplace and garderobe, while the hall contains a large west-end fireplace, an oubliette in its south wall and a mural staircase to the upper floor.

Why was Slade Castle built, and what was it used for?

Slade Castle was built as a fortified residence overlooking Bannow Bay and Waterford Harbour, where the views mattered for defence. Its tower and hall provided living and storage spaces, with machicolations, murder-holes and thick walls adding protection. It was later used for storage by the salt works and then converted into tenement housing.

Where is Slade Castle?

Slade Castle is in the village of Slade on the Hook Peninsula in County Wexford. It stands near the tip of the peninsula, about 1.7 km northeast of Hook Head Lighthouse, overlooking Bannow Bay and Waterford Harbour.

When was Slade Castle built?

Slade Castle was built in phases from the late 15th century into the 16th century. The earliest part is the four-storey tower, built by the Laffin family in the late 15th century, while the adjoining two-storey hall was added in the 16th century.

Which family or clan held Slade Castle?

The Laffan family held Slade Castle from its construction in the late 15th century through the 16th century. Their fortified residence overlooked Bannow Bay and Waterford Harbour. The Laffins lost Slade after the 1641 Rebellion.

What did Slade Castle look like in its prime?

Slade Castle was a squat four-storey rectangular tower attached to a lower two-storey rectangular hall. The stone building had thick walls, narrow slit windows, Irish-style crenellations and a projecting entrance machicolation with a murder-hole. It stood close to the shoreline, facing Bannow Bay and Waterford Harbour, with a large west-end fireplace in the hall.

Is Slade Castle still standing, or is it a ruin?

Slade Castle is still standing and has been restored. It was taken over by the Office of Public Works in the 1940s and restored to its previous condition. The surviving structure includes the four-storey tower, the adjoining two-storey hall, vaulted rooms, crenellations and defensive features.

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