Camlin Castle was a prominent estate near Belleek straddling the Donegal-Fermanagh border. The mansion stood from the early 1700s until its demolition in the late 1940s. The estate’s history spans over two centuries of the Tredennick family’s residence in Ireland.
Origins and Early History
The Tredennick family, originally from St. Brock near Bodmin in Cornwall, lost their English estates due to their support of Charles I during the English Civil War. They established themselves in Ireland during the reign of William III, when William Tredennick acquired the lease of Camlin from William ‘Speaker’ Conolly around 1718.
The Tudor-Gothic Mansion
The most significant architectural development of the estate came in 1838, when John A. Tredennick commissioned the eminent architect John Benjamin Keane to redesign the house. Keane, known primarily for his Catholic church commissions, created a Tudor-Gothic mansion characterized by battlements and turrets overlaid on a classical, symmetrical structure. While the front portion was built in 1840, the rear sections incorporated elements of considerable age, possibly including seventeenth-century fabric.
The Estate
During its heyday, Camlin Castle was renowned for its salmon and trout fishing rights along the River Erne, which bounded the property to the north. The estate’s impressive entrance, which still stands today, features a castellated gateway with an integral Tudor-arched carriage entrance, complemented by a gate lodge and screen wall. The gateway’s design includes Irish-style crenellations, machicolated parapets, and a distinctive flag tower.
Decline and Demolition
The estate remained in Tredennick family hands until 1929, when Charles Joseph Haydon Tredennick became the last family member to reside there. The property was sold to the Land Commission around 1900. In the late 1940s, the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) demolished the castle during the development of the Erne Hydro-Electric Scheme, believing the structure would be submerged by the new lake. The water level never reached the castle site.
Legacy
The entrance gateway, featuring skilled ashlar masonry and extensive cut stone embellishments, remains standing and is considered an important element of local architectural heritage. The Tredennick family vault can still be found in nearby Teigh Tunney Graveyard, where local community groups continue preservation efforts.
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