Castletown House

The Batty Langley Lodge

Gate lodges marked the end of each avenue at Castletown. The most interesting of these lodges is the Batty Langley lodge which marked the entrance to the estate from the Dublin road. The present lodge, which was influenced by the published designs of English architect and gardener Batty Langley (1696-1751), was completed in 1785. The gothic façade reflected the contemporary vogue for the gothic in garden design. The lodge was unusual in its design as the stylised gothic façade faced towards the estate and Castletown rather than towards the road. This reflected its dual purpose. It would serve the practical function of a gate lodge, as well as serving as the end point of the river walk along the Liffey. It has also been suggested that Louisa Conolly used the lodge as a cottage ornée, where she could pretend to lead a life of domestic simplicity. Other garden cottages such as the Shell House at her sister Emily’s house at Carton were used in this fashion. The planting of a shrubbery and fruit trees around the lodge reflected Louisa’s ideal of rustic simplicity. The primary function of the lodge, however, was to act as a gate house, and as a residence for one the Castletown grounds-men or gardeners, which it did until the mid twentieth century. The lodge and the surrounding grounds were detached from the remainder of the demesne in 1967, but have been recently been purchased by the Office of Public works and have been reintegrated into the demesne.