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Castle · Gort

Lough Cutra Castle

Three kilometres south of Gort, on a lake of a thousand acres that is said to be the largest privately owned in Europe, stands a castle by John Nash, the architect of Regent Street and the Brighton Pavilion. Colonel Charles Vereker, the second Viscount Gort, had it built between 1811 and 1817; a Gort bought it back in 1952, and it is still private, opening its grounds once a year for a triathlon.

Checked against the source on 2026-09-19.

Today we have a fine shot from the Stereo Pairs collection showing a "Toy" castle somewhere! These always remind me of AJ Cronins classic novel "Hatters Castle
Today we have a fine shot from the Stereo Pairs collection showing a "Toy" castle somewhere! These always remind me of AJ Cronins classic novel "Hatters Castle
National Library of Ireland on The Commons, no restrictions via Wikimedia Commons

Lough Cutra Castle, Lough Cutra on the 3D model; tap a pin for its page and directions.

Verekers and Goughs

After the Verekers the castle passed to Hugh Gough, the first Viscount Gough, the field marshal, and was his residence. Standish Vereker, the seventh Viscount Gort, bought it in 1952 and Sir Humphry Wakefield, then married to Gort's great-niece Elizabeth Sidney, restored it. The estate runs to 600 acres along the shore.

The triathlon and a royal dinner

The Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon, part of the Castle Race Series, has been run in the grounds every May since 2012, the one time the demesne is open to the public. In May 2015, on their state visit, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall stayed three days at the castle and gave a dinner for eighteen in the dining room, with President Michael D. Higgins and Sabina Higgins among the guests. The model on this page pins the castle and the lake; Coole Park and Thoor Ballylee are a few kilometres away and have their own guides.

Questions people ask

Can you visit Lough Cutra Castle?
It is privately owned; the grounds open for the Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon each May.
Who built Lough Cutra Castle?
John Nash designed it for Colonel Charles Vereker, 2nd Viscount Gort; it was built between 1811 and 1817.
How big is Lough Cutra?
About 1,000 acres, said to be the largest privately owned lake in Europe, with the castle on 600 acres beside it.

Written from Wikipedia, "Lough Cutra Castle" (CC BY-SA 4.0), read on 2026-09-19, and from the OpenStreetMap places on the model. Nothing has been added from memory; follow the source for its footnotes.