Dangan Castle, Summerhill, Co. Meath

Dangan Castle stands on an elevated site overlooking the undulating lands, currently laid out in three sections with approx. 50 acres of grassland, 115 acres of tillage and 70 acres of forestry. The woodlands are planted with Norway Spruce, Larch and a diverse mix of broadleaves, enhancing the estate's biodiversity and amenity appeal. The lands have direct access to the Trim Road with an approximate frontage of 180 metres. Dangan Castle ruins and demesne features are protected structures (MH042-112). The lands are zoned objective Rural Area ‘to protect and promote in a balanced way, the development of agriculture, forestry and rural-related enterprise, biodiversity, the rural landscape, and the built and cultural heritage' under the Meath County Development Plan 2021 - 2027. Dangan Castle, presently in a ruinous state, was built in the early 18th Century. The historic estate was home to the Wellesley family and the childhood home of the Arthur Wellesley who later became the 1st Duke of Wellington in 1814 and is best known for his victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. A large provincial Georgian country house, Dangan Castle was constructed with five bay two-storey front over a vaulted basement and with a moulded cornice supporting a parapet. The property passed out of the hands of the Wellesley family to Arthur's older brother Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley inherited it in 1781. He sold it to Thomas Burrowes of the East India Company in 1793 and in 1809 there was a serious fire that destroyed much of the building and has been a ruin ever since. A fine stable yard centring on a pedimented block also survives, albeit in a dilapidated state. The lands are situated beside Dangan Church on the Trim Road, just 2km from Summerhill village and 8km from Trim. The estate offers excellent connectivity, just 25 mins from Navan, 40 mins from Dublin Airport and just 1 hour from Dublin City Centre.