Official tourism website for Northern Ireland
En

Clough Castle

Main Street, Clough, County Down, BT30 8TH
Clough Castle

Book Tickets Online

About

The motte and bailey at Clough dates to c.1200 and is an excellent example of an Anglo-Norman earthwork castle. The taller mound, the motte, was built of earth to provide a look-out position and the central defence. Excavations at the top of the motte during the 1950s uncovered a wooden palisade which originally extended around the summit. The stone foundations of long rectangular hall were also found in the northeast of the area, dating to the mid 13th century. A small rectangular stone keep was added later in the 13th century in the SW area. The stone keep was later restored and enlarged as a tower-house in the late 15th/early 16th century.

The small kidney shaped bailey lies to the south of the motte and would have originally been seperated from it by a 2.1m deep ditch. The bailey provided a space for other domestic buildings and livestock.

When you climb the motte you realise what an important position the castle is in, over looking the routes east to Downpatrick, south to Dundrum and north to Belfast Lough. The views from the top of the motte west to Slieve Croob are particularly fine.

Book Tickets

Facilities

Provider Preferences

  • Free (parking charges may apply)

Guide Prices

Ticket TypeTicket Tariff
TicketFree

Note: Prices are a guide only and may change on a daily basis.

Add Clough Castle to your Itinerary

Close window

Call direct on:

Tel+44 (0) 28 9082 3207

Map & Directions

Opening Times

* Open access always.

What's Nearby

  1. We are a family run farm park based just outside Newcastle, County Down. Established in…

    1.05 miles away
  2. Believed to have been built in or around 1177, Dundrum Castle was built by John De Courcy…

    2.07 miles away
  3. Seaforde Gardens, Maze and Tropical Butterfly House promises a truly plant rich and…

    2.07 miles away
  4. Set in spectacular surroundings overlooking Dundrum inner Bay these fine Georgian…

    2.56 miles away
  5. Interactive Medieval history Village, offering the opportunity to step back in time and…

    3.44 miles away
  6. Murlough National Nature Reserve is a fragile 6000 year old sand dune system owned by the…

    3.69 miles away
  7. Situated 8.8km south east of Ballynahinch, on the north east shore of Loughinisland Lake,…

    3.69 miles away
  8. This 5 mile stretch of golden sands is still the essence of the resort and is hugely…

    4.34 miles away
  9. Maghera Church and Round Tower is of major historical importance and is among many…

    4.46 miles away
  10. Tyrella beach and conservation area is a small, enclosed dune complex within Dundrum Bay.…

    4.49 miles away
  11. Travel back to the past with real vintage steam trains through St. Patrick's Country,…

    5.16 miles away
  12. Down Cathedral, a Cathedral of the Church of Ireland with magnificent stain glass…

    5.24 miles away
  13. Castlewellan Peace Maze, is one of the world's largest permanent hedge mazes representing…

    5.25 miles away
  14. Located on the north bank of the Quoile River, Inch Abbey was founded by John de Courcy…

    5.29 miles away
  15. The Saint Patrick Centre is the only permanent exhibition in the World about Ireland’s…

    5.33 miles away
  16. Down County Museum is located in the old county Gaol of Down. It houses fascinating…

    5.35 miles away

Virtual Tour

Map & Directions

Road Directions

Directions from Town:Clough village, at junction of A24 and A25.

Back to Top

Tourism Northern Ireland

Don't Miss