Castle Oliver

Castle Oliver lies in the townland of the Castleoliver, in County Cork, in Ireland.

The lands of Castle Oliver were granted to Capt. Robert Oliver, a Cromwellian soldier, in 1666. He then either had a manor house built or repurposed a late medieval structure that was already there. The Olivers moved away in 1812, leaving the house to a bailiff. It quickly deteriorated and by 1837 it was reported as being in ruins.

The old house having gone, a new Castle Oliver was built between 1845 and 1850, like an Irish interpretation of a Scottish Baronial castle. It passed through several hands until it again fell into disrepair in the 1980s. From around 2000 restoration works started and apparently are still going on. It is now owned by an Australian family.

On a high hill behind the manor house now stands a castle-like structure, called Oliver's Folly. It was built c. 1790 as a mock castle ruin consisting of 2 round towers with a curtain wall, containing a gate and 2 windows, between them. It was built just for decoration so it could be seen from the manor house. Because of its elevated location, it can be seen from miles around.

East and west of the manor house, at the borders of the demesne, are 2 Gothic gate lodges, contemporary with the 19th century house.

The manor of Castle Oliver is a private residence and can thus not be visited. It can't even be seen from the public road. The folly is freely accessible, but only if the pasture surrounding it is not in use. The two gate lodges are not in use, although the west gate seemed to be in the process of some works or other. The gates are right by the public road and can thus easily be seen but not accessed. I liked the folly very much.

Gallery

Oliver's Folly

East gate lodge

West gate lodge