The Mint Tower House
Carlingford Co. Louth, Ireland. This image is 8 photos stitched with Autostitch.
See Large or look closer at the Original
The Mint was established in 1467 and may have evolved from an earlier fourteenth century defensive urban structure. The fact that a mint was established at Carlingford in 1467, suggests that the town was flourishing by the mid fifteenth century. The Mint is a good example of the decorative nature of the stonework of certain tower houses. The windows in the ground level east wall of the Mint have hood mouldings and ogee headed arches (the top part of the window) of smoothly dressed limestone. The arches are constructed of two stones and have highly decorative panels between the arches and mood holdings. The decoration consists of broad interlace but a horse and the bust of a man are also depicted. The windows in the south wall are also decorated.
The Mint is a strongly fortified construction and is endowed with a large machiolation (a defensive feature, built out from the wall of a castle, through which items could be dropped on the enemy) of c.1.2m wide, resting on doublesandstone corbels directly over the doorway and extending down from the battlements. There is a well-preserved wide wall-walk with stepped crenellations and irregularly spaced opes (windows) in the parapets which were probably pistol loops i.e. holes in the wall which were wide on the inside and narrow on the outside to help protect those firing from within the tower house.
Part of the Ireland set.
See the Slideshow
The Mint Tower House
Carlingford Co. Louth, Ireland. This image is 8 photos stitched with Autostitch.
See Large or look closer at the Original
The Mint was established in 1467 and may have evolved from an earlier fourteenth century defensive urban structure. The fact that a mint was established at Carlingford in 1467, suggests that the town was flourishing by the mid fifteenth century. The Mint is a good example of the decorative nature of the stonework of certain tower houses. The windows in the ground level east wall of the Mint have hood mouldings and ogee headed arches (the top part of the window) of smoothly dressed limestone. The arches are constructed of two stones and have highly decorative panels between the arches and mood holdings. The decoration consists of broad interlace but a horse and the bust of a man are also depicted. The windows in the south wall are also decorated.
The Mint is a strongly fortified construction and is endowed with a large machiolation (a defensive feature, built out from the wall of a castle, through which items could be dropped on the enemy) of c.1.2m wide, resting on doublesandstone corbels directly over the doorway and extending down from the battlements. There is a well-preserved wide wall-walk with stepped crenellations and irregularly spaced opes (windows) in the parapets which were probably pistol loops i.e. holes in the wall which were wide on the inside and narrow on the outside to help protect those firing from within the tower house.
Part of the Ireland set.
See the Slideshow