Jordan's Castle, 16th-century tower house in Ardglass, Northern Ireland.
Jordan's Castle is a 16th-century defensive tower house in the coastal town of Ardglass with a rectangular design and two projecting towers on the north side. These towers are linked by a stone arch that covers the roof section between them.
The building dates to the 16th century and served originally as an armed residence for coastal defense. Later, a local collector acquired it in the early 20th century and converted it into a storage place for regional historical items.
The castle shows features of medieval defensive architecture with a practical layout suited to coastal protection needs. The arrangement of towers and the arched gateway follows a pattern visible in several coastal fortifications of that era.
The entrance sits at the base of the northwest tower and leads to a spiral staircase that climbs to the roof level. Visitors should expect narrow, winding stairs and uneven floors since the building was built originally for defense rather than modern comfort.
A local antiquities collector rescued the building from decay in 1911 and turned it into a private museum for regional finds. This early conservation effort was unusual for that era and eventually led to the government taking over its care.
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