At a castle in County Wexford, restoration work has revealed a hidden room.
A carpenter repairing on a window at Johnstown Castle on Sunday made the discovery.
The National Gates and Joinery Company’s workers discovered a hidden room that had been unoccupied for many years after breaking through a portion of wall.
The Irish Heritage Trust will now evaluate it to learn more about its use, timing, and previous owners.
In recent years, the gothic-revival castle outside of Wexford town has undergone extensive conservation and restoration work. It has been gradually reopening to the public.
The site’s first castle was built there more than 850 years ago during the Norman era.
Before becoming a part of the public domain in the late 20th century, it was owned by a number of various aristocratic families.
Following a €7.5 million renovation, the castle’s doors were first opened to the public in some areas in the middle of 2019 and more did so over the next two years.
Anne O’Donoghue, CEO of the Irish Heritage Trust, said it was an incredible discovery.
This is the second time that this has happened at Johnstown Castle after our discovery of a secret room under the tower at the lake only last year, she said. “It is highly unusual to find additional hidden treasures in heritage properties,” she said.
Only a boat can get to the room under the tower.
The room appears to have been covered up for a very long period, according to Brenda Comerford, manager of Johnstown Castle.
It is a portion of one of the towers, and based on our early observations, we believe it was probably a tiny turret bedroom.
There is a horrible family history connected to Johnstown Castle, so who knows if this room was closed off as a result of a catastrophe that might have occurred in the past.