Wilton Castle, located near Bree, is one of Ireland’s hidden historical gems. Wilton Castle was built by the Alcock family in 1695 and was occupied by them until the early 1900’s. The Alcocks undertook a large work of restoration on the castle structure in the 1840’s. The castle was burned in the Civil War and has been unoccupied since. Over the years the castle and its once beautiful gardens fell into further disrepair.

Wilton Castle, Bree, Co. Wexford
Wilton Castle, Bree, Co. Wexford

Wexford Local Development have worked with the owners of Wilton Castle for the past 10 years to redevelop the castle as a centrepiece of Co. Wexford’s heritage. A huge schedule of works have taken place over the past number of years which Wexford Local Development have been able to support through a grant of approx. €190,000 under the LEADER National Rural Development Programme. These works have now transformed one wing of Wilton Castle into Wexford’s very own “Downton Abbey” and have changed a once derelict structure into a beautiful building which will become a destination of national importance. The end result of these works show the care and detail that was carried out throughout the restoration and are a credit to Mr. Sean Windsor and his family, the owners of Wilton Castle.

To celebrate the redevelopment of Wilton Castle, and to mark “Heritage Week”, an open evening will take place in Wilton Castle from 7 to 10pm this Thursday evening (27th August). This will give members of the public a wonderful opportunity to see the restoration works themselves and to see how this wonderful building has been transformed. Local Archaeologist Colm Moriarty will be present on the evening to give talks on the history of the Castle and surrounding area. Entry to the open evening is €5.00 per car.

Further information about Wilton Castle, and some beautiful photographs of the redeveloped grounds and suites, can be found at its website Wilton Castle Ireland. These photographs will give a taste of what can be seen in person on Thursday evening. The owners of Wilton Castle have asked that anyone interested in attending would e-mail them at info@wiltoncastleireland.com to help them estimate the likely numbers.

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