Castle Upton

History

Castle Upton stands in the village of Templepatrick, County Antrim, about twelve miles northwest of Belfast. The site may have held a fortified priory of the Knights of St John in the 13th century, though some historians question whether such a house ever existed due to a lack of evidence. The current building was begun around 1610 by Sir Robert Norton, an officer under Sir Arthur Chichester, who obtained land along the Six Mile Water and constructed what is now the east wing.

His son Sir Humphrey Norton finished the work in the early 1600s, and like many plantation castles, it was enclosed by a bawn wall. In 1625, Captain Henry Upton, a former officer under the Earl of Essex, bought the castle and renamed it after his family. Upton served as MP for Carrickfergus in 1634, and several of his descendants later held the same seat or represented County Antrim. The family backed the Protestant William III against the Catholic James II.

In 1776, Clotworthy Upton was made Baron Templetown after serving in the household of Princess Augusta. He hired the Scottish architect Robert Adam to remodel the castle in a castellated style. Though Adam never visited Ireland, his plans were largely followed, including changes to the roofline and the addition of the north wing. Adam also designed a mausoleum and a stable block with a double courtyard, completed in 1789 after John Upton succeeded his father as 2nd Baron Templetown.

John later became Viscount Templetown in 1806. In 1837, his successor Henry Montagu Upton, 2nd Viscount Templetown, commissioned Edward Blore to remodel the house. During the early 1900s, the Upton family sold the castle. The Adam roof alterations were removed, and the Adam wing fell into ruin.

In 1963, Sir Robin Kinahan, a businessman and former Lord Mayor of Belfast, bought the semi-ruined property for £53,000. His wife, artist Coralie de Burgh, oversaw its restoration over many years. The Adam wing was later rebuilt and now contains a ballroom with an Italian marble chimney taken from Downhill Castle in County Londonderry. The stable block was built using architectural copies of the old Fish Market of Leith in Scotland.

The adjacent graveyard holds the Templetown Mausoleum, designed by Adam in 1789, which commemorates George Upton, 3rd Viscount Templetown, a Crimean War veteran and MP. The burial ground also contains the remains of William Orr, a United Irishman whose execution inspired the rebel cry "Remember Orr" during the 1798 Battle of Antrim, and the preacher Josias Welsh, grandson of John Knox.

Templepatrick burial ground

The adjacent graveyard contains the Upton family Templetown Mausoleum, built in 1789 to the design of Robert Adam. It commemorates among others George Upton, 3rd Viscount Templetown, a Crimean War veteran, MP, and Gold Stick in Waiting to Queen Victoria.