Charleville Castle: Everything You Need to Know About Charleville Castle

A stunning example of Gothic Revival architecture, this castle is hauntingly beautiful. It is also beautifully haunted.

The building stood empty for years before the current owners took it over and began to lovingly restore it in 1973.

Charleville Forest Castle stands proudly in an ancient oak forest in  Tullamore, County Offaly.

The restoration works are ongoing, and the property is now managed by The  Charleville Castle Heritage Trust.

The castle is open to the public for tours but as the place is run by volunteers that may not always be available, you need to call or email ahead to book one. This is the castle’s website.

The Original Owners

Charleville Forest Castle was built for the Earl of Charleville, Charles William Bury, who inherited his title and several thousand hectares of land when he was only six months old.

He inherited all of this after his father sadly drowned. The estate included a huge oak forest, as well as the town of Tullamore, and when Bury graduated from Trinity College Dublin, at 22 years of age, he returned to Tullamore and set about fixing and developing the town.

It had recently been partially destroyed by a fire caused by a hot-air balloon accident, of all things!

Charles and his wife Catherine Maria Bury, the 1st countess of Charleville, had Charleville Forest Castle built as a home for their family. Their Charleville Estate grew to around 24,000 acres in its heyday, and Tullamore expanded hugely both in population and wealth. 

The Architect

Charleville Forest Castle is a stunning example of Gothic Revival. Designed in the late 1700s by the architect Francis Johnston, the construction took 14 years and the castle was completed in 1812.

Francis Johnston was a lauded architect whose work spanned both neo-classical and neo-gothic designs, and more of his stunning buildings can be seen around the country.

His Chapel Royal in Dublin Castle is one of his most beautiful designs and an exemplar of Gothic Revival in Dublin. Charleville Castle’s design borrows many characteristics from medieval Gothic buildings and is considered to be one of the finest examples of its type in Ireland.

The Druids

The grounds on which Charleville Forest Castle now stands are thought to have once been frequented by Druids. The ancient oak forest that surrounds the castle does seem perfect for some Druidic magic. The high priests and priestesses of old are said to have worshipped their Gods and practiced their rituals here. 

The ancient Druids were revered members of Celtic society.  It is thought by some that Druids would have presided over sacred rituals that may have included Human Sacrifice, but there is no evidence in Charleville forest of human sacrifice having taken place in its history. The Druids of ancient Irish myths were intelligent and learned men and women who held more power than the kings, queens, and chieftains of the time. 

The Hauntings 

Charleville Forest Castle has hosted many teams of paranormal experts and ghost hunters over the years. It is said that the spirit of an 8-year-old Harriet haunts the building. She was the daughter of the 3rd Earl of Charleville. She died in 1861, tragically breaking her neck when she fell from a banister while cheekily sliding down it. Many visitors have claimed to feel a cold spot at the staircase, and others claim to see a young girl dressed in blue and white. Sometimes she has a friend in tow, a small boy around the same age. People have also reported hearing children singing and laughing in the castle. There are many reports of Harriet’s hauntings from visitors to the castle, from volunteers who work there, and paranormal investigators who have spent time there.

There have been reported sightings of spectral monks in the castle also, as well as strange lights on ceilings, the sound of ghostly footsteps and disembodies voices, a strange mist that appears from time to time, and a dread-inducing spirit is said to haunt the dungeon..

The Interior Design

The interior of Charleville Forest Castle is truly a sight to behold. The entrance hall leads to an impressive staircase with a sparkling chandelier hanging from a beautifully designed ceiling above. The decor inside the castle is all pointed arches and embellished ornamental plaster ceilings. The dining room was redecorated in the late 1860s by textile designer William Morris. His stenciled ceiling is still on display in this room;;;

The King Oak Tree

At the main entrance to Charleville Forest Castle Estate stands a huge sprawling oak tree, known as the King Oak. This tree is part of a wider ancient oak forest that surrounds Charleville Forest Castle.

Some online reports say that the King Tree is 900 years old, but you can’t believe everything you read on the internet. The Irish Wildlife Trust has described the King Oak as one of the oldest trees in the country, however, and it is believed to be between 400-800 years old.

It has long been believed that the King Oak had a spiritual connection with the Bury family, and that if one of the branches fell from the tree this foretold the death of a family member.

During a storm in 1963, the tree was almost split in half when it was struck by lightning. Some weeks later the owner of the estate, Colonel Charles Howard-Bury, passed away. He was 82 at the time of his passing, and died at Belvedere House in Co Westmeath, inherited from his father, having inherited Charleville Forest Castle from his mother.

In 2013 the King Oak Tree finished third in the European Tree of the Year contest after it was nominated as the Irish entry. It was beaten by a tree called ‘The Plane Tree in Eger’, located in Eger, Hungary,  which took first place.

The Dungeon

As Charleville Forest Castle was never used to lock people up (we cannot find any evidence of prisoners, just a couple of vague claims of people being tortured, but if we are wrong please let us know!), the dungeon is more of a basement, really.  Legend has it that the 1st Earl of Charleville practiced devil worship, and there is a strange altar in the dungeon which may or may not have been hidden behind a concrete wall and rediscovered during renovations. However, there are many claims that people have come into contact with a terrifying spirit down there, dungeon or not!!

Charleville Forest Castle is a striking example of Gothic Revival architecture, but also a fine example of dedication, hard work, and passion, as the restoration of this beautiful old building goes on.