Jigginstown Castle

Jigginstown Castle is a ruined 17th-century house[5] and National Monument near Naas, County Kildare, Ireland. It was constructed in the late 1630s when Ireland was under the reign of Charles I (1625–1649).[6] At the time it was one of the largest buildings in Ireland, and the first to be constructed of red brick said to have been imported from Holland: the plans provided for pavement and columns of Kilkenny marble.[7]

Jigginstown Castle
Caisleán Bhaile an tSigínigh
Alternative names	Strafford's Folly, Sigginstown Castle/House, Jigginstown House[1]
Etymology	Placename is first recorded in 1280 as Sigineston, meaning "Siggins' settlement"[2][3]
General information
Architectural style	Tudor
Location	Jigginstown
Town or city	Naas
Country	Ireland
Coordinates	53.2139°N 6.6822°W / 53.2139; -6.6822
Elevation	92 metres (302 ft)
Construction started	c. 1632
Completed	late 1630s
Destroyed	1640s
Cost	c. £6,000[4]
Owner	Irish state
Dimensions
Other dimensions	Length 448 ft (137 m); facade length 380 ft (120 m)
Technical details
Material	Red brick, marble, lead, steel[1]
Floor count	3
Design and construction
Architect(s)	John Allen
Other information
Public transit access	Jiggstown Green bus stop (Bus Éireann routes 125, 126)

Jigginstown Castle was built on the periphery of an area known as The Pale, which was on the outskirts of Dublin. It was an area which was guarded on its outskirts by the English plantation settlers to protect valuables and livestock. The castle has also been previously known as Siggingstown Castle.

Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the 1630s, in his time the most powerful figure in Ireland, was responsible for the construction. His intention was for the castle to be a place where the King could reside on royal visits to Ireland.[8] The downfall and execution for treason of Lord Strafford in 1641 meant that the house was never completed, and it was largely destroyed during the civil strife of the 1640s. According to Strafford's biographer Veronica Wedgwood, the ruins were still visible in the 1950s. The basement and castle's ground floor still stand to this day.[9]

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