A short stroll through the pretty village of Glaslough, passing by a Classical monument to Charles Powell Leslie MP (1821-71), leads to a pair of crow stepped gabled gate lodges marking an entrance to the Castle Leslie estate. Castle Leslie is widely considered a masterpiece of the Belfast-based architect William Henry Lynn (1829-1915). A brooding pile of rock faced limestone and russet sandstone, the exterior blends the irregular massing and elongated proportions typical of the High Victorian era with details inspired by the Renaissance and Tudor periods. Cameos of the original builders, Sir John and Lady Constance Leslie, cast a glance at visitors as they make their way to the front door; portraits of their ancestors and descendants line the walls of the galleried staircase hall. Among the suite of lavish reception rooms, each one a showcase for the skill of the carpenter and stuccadore, is the Italian Renaissance-style drawing room where polygonal bay windows give unsurpassed views overlooking manicured terraces and the wooded Glaslough Lake.
Click here to visit the Castle Leslie website