Castle Wray, Letterkenny, DG

General Description

Composition

The original seat in Co. Donegal of the Wray family, one of the most important landowners in the county. The site was purchased in 1610 and the original house was of .lime and stone within its protecting bawn.. This was replaced in the 18th century by a two-storey house on or near the same site by a stream and overlooking Lough Swilly. A suitable landscape park was laid out for this house. The stone walled garden lies across the stream over a bridge. The Georgian house has gone and the nearby outbuildings are ruinous but the immediate area has changed little. The wider area of demesne lands has been fragmented as either farmland or built over by large properties in generous grounds. The Wrays left in the late 19th century. Subsequent owners left in the early 20th century.