The country-styled house with castellated decoration is situated near Balbriggan, County Dublin, and is set in 200 acres of public parkland. The ‘castle’ was originally called ‘Prospect House’, the central section built under the supervision of Reverend Robert Taylor in 1738, with the west and east wings added in the late 1800s. Previously, the land was owned by Robert Usher – a wine merchant. When Taylor bought the land it was largely wooded (hence, the name Ardgillan, deriving from the Irish ‘Ard choill’ meaning High Wood), so he employed ex-service soldiers and itinerant labourers to clear-out the timber. They were paid one penny and given one meal a day, as well as being provided with sleeping accommodation. Robert lived a solitary life, spending most of his time writing sermons. Reverend Edward Taylor (Roberts grandnephew) and his wife Marianne St Leger occupied the house in 1807. It was during this period that the house was castellated and extended. The family mixed with the social elite, holding society balls at Ardgillan, alongside attending dinners at Newbridge House, Malahide Castle and Hampton Hall. The house remained in the Taylor family until 1962 when the estate was sold to Heir Henrich Potts – a German industrialist. It was then purchased by Dublin County Council in 1981, and is now under the ownership of Fingal County Council. It was officially opened to the public in 1992. Ardgillan Castle is three-story over basement house, with landscape grounds overlooking a restored walled garden. Formally, the ground and first floors were the living accommodations for the family/owners, while the west and east wings were servants’ quarters and estate offices. The basement consisted as a Service Floor, Kitchen and Stores. The Dining Room features carved oak panelling by Italian brothers Guardorici, dated 1889. The Taylor Family crest is cut into the wood.