Knockane Castle

Map Reference: R981792 (1981, 1792)

All the photos on this page were taken by John O'Meara. Thank you, John!











Knockane Castle is a four-storey tower-house, surviving to full height with gables on the north and south walls. These are capped by small chimney-stacks which are non-functional. They give the impression that the castle has many fireplaces. There is a tall functional chimney-stack in the west wall.









The pointed doorway, in the centre of the north wall, is protected by a capped machicolation at roof level. The doorway, which has some pecked decoration, leads to a lobby which is protected by a murder-hole, leading from first floor and a defensive slit in the lobby wall. To the right of the lobby is a small guard-chamber in the NW corner. A short passage to the left leads to the spiral stairs in the NE corner and a doorway at the east end of the lobby wall leads to the ground floor room. This room is lit by defensive slits set within arched recesses and flanked by shot-holes. The spiral stairway rises to roof level. There are small chambers in the north wall at each of the higher levels but these can only be reached from the main chambers.







At the second floor a passage leads along the east wall to a garderobe in the SE corner. There is a vault over the second floor. Above the vault there is a fragmentary fireplace in the west wall. At the roof level there are round bartizans at the NW and SE corners.