Kilwaughter Castle heritage exhibition

The free exhibition, which will run from Monday October 5-Monday October 12, including Saturday October 10, will feature pictures of the John Nash-designed castle in its heyday.

The event will also include a talk on the castle by Janice Holmes of the Open University on Monday October 12 at 7pm.

Places are limited and must be booked in advance.

Daughter of the the castle’s current owner Anne Ferguson says that the exhibition will build upon the good work started by the social media page Save Kilwaughter Castle and graveyard, which aims to revive interest in the site.

“There is huge global interest in the castle, it’s such a significant building, it’s a plantation castle and it was designed by the architect John Nash who redesigned Buckingham Palace and Regent Street,” explained Anne.

“The exhibition is going to bring in all the different aspects of the castle.

“At one point it was owned by Countess Balzani, the daughter of Edward Jones Agnew, who married a Count.

“Then during the war it was occupied by an American Battalion, the 644th Tank Destroyer Battalion, who were preparing for D-day.

“There is a further American connection to the castle as an American, Elizabeth Bringhurst, married a Belfast linen merchant and they leased the castle from the Italian family.”

The interest in Kilwaughter Castle is continiuing across the pond, with an exhbition entitled “From Kilwaughter Castle to Rockwood Mansion” currently taking place in Wilmington near Philadelphia.

As part of the Larne exhibition, local people will be invited to record their memories of the castle and estate.

From September 28 until the end of October, the exhibition will move to the auditorium at Larne Tourist Information Centre.

It will be open from 9am-5pm Monday to Friday and 10am-4pm on Saturdays.