A medieval castle believed to have disappeared around 150 years ago has turned out to be hiding in plain sight inside a university building in Dublin, with researchers finding that its ancient walls and courtyard survived beneath the later structure.
asserted
walls → believe → structure
The discovery concerns Roebuck Castle on the Belfield campus of University College Dublin (UCD).
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discovery → concern → Dublin
The Norman castle was long thought to have been cleared away when the present Roebuck Castle was developed during the 19th century.
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Castle → think → century
New research by UCD medieval architectural historian Professor Tadhg O’Keeffe has now shown that substantial parts of the medieval structure remain intact within the building.
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parts → show → building
A castle hidden behind a Victorian facade
From the outside, the building appears to be a much later Victorian structure.
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building → hide → outside
But O’Keeffe’s research, published in Archaeology Ireland, found that the medieval castle was not completely demolished as previously assumed.
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castle → publish → Ireland
Instead, later builders appear to have incorporated the old structure into the newer building.
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builders → appear → building
Its medieval walls remain beneath layers of plaster, while features of the original castle can still be identified inside.
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features → remain → castle
What appears today to be the courtyard behind the university building is actually the courtyard of the medieval castle, according to O’Keeffe.
uncertain
appears → appear → O’Keeffe
“From the outside, the present building looks to be entirely Victorian.
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building → look → outside
Inside, though, the walls of the old castle are preserved,” O’Keeffe said.
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O’Keeffe → preserve → castle
They’re hidden under plaster but they can be made out.
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they → hide → plaster
We are incredibly lucky that the Georgian and Victorian modernisers of the property simply built around the medieval castle rather than demolish it.
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modernisers → build → it
And we are also lucky that they built very little else on the site.
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they → build → site
“UCD can now claim to have the oldest standing building on any university campus in Ireland,” he added.
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he → claim → Ireland
The survival of the structure is particularly significant because many medieval castles in south Dublin disappeared over the centuries.
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castles → disappear → centuries
Some were demolished, and their stones reused in newer, more comfortable buildings, leaving little physical evidence of the structures that once stood there.
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that → demolish → structures
Castle dates back to the early 13th century
Historical evidence suggests that Roebuck Castle was constructed in the early 13th century, only a few generations after the Norman invasion of Ireland began in 1169.
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invasion → date → 1169
The exact date of its construction still requires further archaeological investigation, but O’Keeffe believes the oldest surviving portions can be dated to the early 1200s.
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portions → require → 1200s
That would make the building an unusually old surviving example of medieval architecture.
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building → make → architecture
UCD said the finding could mean Roebuck Castle is the oldest standing building on an Irish university campus.
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Castle → say → campus
Roebuck occupied an important position on one of the approach roads into medieval Dublin and underwent several alterations during the Middle Ages.
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Roebuck → occupy → Ages
Its occupants included a medieval Lord High Chancellor of Ireland.
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occupants → include → Ireland
The castle is also traditionally associated with James II, who reportedly stayed there in 1689 after losing his throne.
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who → associate → throne
An artist may have left the clues behind
One of the most important pieces of evidence came from an 18th-century artist.
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One → leave → artist
By the 1700s, Roebuck Castle had fallen into ruin.
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Castle → fall → ruin
Around 1765, Dutch-born artist Gabriel Beranger visited the site and produced watercolours depicting what remained of the medieval castle.
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what → bear → castle
Those paintings proved unexpectedly valuable nearly three centuries later.
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paintings → prove → ?
Rather than simply showing the general appearance of the ruins, Beranger's drawings included small architectural details that helped O’Keeffe reconstruct the earlier building and compare it with the structure surviving today.
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O’Keeffe → show → structure
The comparison revealed that parts of what had been assumed to be a completely new building corresponded with the form and layout of the medieval castle.
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what → reveal → castle
According to O’Keeffe, the Georgian and Victorian owners who modernised the property appear to have built around the medieval remains rather than destroying them.
uncertain
who → accord → them
They also made relatively few additional changes, helping preserve the original layout.
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They → make → layout
A lost chapter of Dublin history returns
The discovery matters beyond UCD because relatively few medieval castles have survived in south Dublin.
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castles → return → Dublin
Over time, many were demolished, altered beyond recognition or dismantled for building materials.
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many → demolish → materials
As a result, archaeologists and historians have had to rely heavily on documents, maps, drawings and other fragments to reconstruct Dublin's medieval landscape.
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archaeologists → have → landscape
Roebuck offers something different: a physical piece of that landscape that survived inside a much newer building without being recognised as such.
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that → offer → building
“Lost buildings are lost historical records.
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buildings → lose → ?
They leave gaps in our knowledge,” O’Keeffe said.
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O’Keeffe → leave → knowledge
The latest research does not mean every part of the original Norman castle survives.
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part → mean → castle
Further archaeological work is needed to establish its precise date and understand the surviving medieval elements in greater detail.
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work → need → detail
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
