Castle Upton

Castle Upton is a castle situated in the village of Templepatrick, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. One side of the main street in the village of Templepatrick consists of the demesne wall of Castle Upton. A fortified gateway in the wall at the centre of the village leads up to the castle. The core of the main house is a tower house with walls up to five feet thick, erected in 1611 by Sir Robert Norton and originally known as Castle Norton. It was purchased in 1625 by Captain Henry Upton, who became Member of Parliament for Carrickfergus in 1634 and renamed the building. The stable block is a copy of Roman style fortifications. The family mausoleum is in the care of the National Trust and is open to visitors. Many Templetown viscounts and barons are buried there. The mausoleum was built in the form of a triumphal arch by Robert Adam, who also extended the house in 1783. The house is currently inhabited by the Kinahan family, being purchased by Sir Robin Kinahan in the 1960s.