Live a Fairy Tale in a Getaway Castle Tower

Let down your hair or just savor the idyllic views. In these 5 remodeled European towers, how the story goes is up to you

Childhood abounds with tales about stone towers where damsels in distress await rescue by a knight in shining armor. Historically, medieval tower houses were often located in inhospitable and inaccessible terrain, with commanding views of the surrounding landscape. They were built as defensive structures in a square or circular plan with massive walls, small window openings and narrow stone staircases.

For centuries these castle towers and lighthouses have dotted the United Kingdom. Across Ireland many such towers stand in ruin, but many architects and private owners have taken over the structures and turned them into rustic and comfortable bed-and-breakfasts and holiday stays, adding modern-day amenities but keeping them rooted in their fairy tale surroundings.

Here are a few worth the climb.

Helen’s Tower, Ireland

William Burn designed this castle in the Scottish style and completed it in October 1861. Lord Dufferin built it as an idyllic retreat in memory of his mother. It’s now a holiday getaway with commanding views across Ulster to the Scottish shores.

A spiral stone staircase connects the double bedroom, kitchen, living room (shown here), reading room and rooftop terrace.

Stay here: Sleeps two; about $200 per weekend. | More info

Wicklow Head Lighthouse, Ireland

Built in 1781, this lighthouse stopped operating in the early 1800s. Its lantern was replaced with a dome in 1866 as a conservation effort. In the 1990s it was converted into holiday accommodations by Shaffrey Architects on behalf of The Irish Landmark Trust. Six octagonal rooms were constructed within the tower void, linked by new cast iron stairs.

Here’s one of the two bedrooms in the tower. Arched windows set deep into the 3-foot-thick walls offer beautiful views out to the Irish Sea and the surrounding countryside.

Because of the tight floor plan, the architects decorated the tower with muted colors that increase the feeling of lightness and space.

One of the challenges in the restoration of the tower was creating safe access to it when it had no stairs. The solution? Helicopter. Much of the furniture was brought in piece by piece and assembled inside.

Stay here: Sleeps four; about $675 per weekend. | More Info

The House in the Clouds, England

This house sits atop a water tower in Thorpeness, Suffolk. It was built in 1923 and designed to improve the looks of the water tower, disguising its tank with a building more in keeping with the local mock-Tudor and Jacobean styles. It contains 68 steps from top to bottom and is around 70 feet high.

Stay here: The building has five bedrooms and three bathrooms; about $800 to $1,300 per night. | More info

Ballinalacken Castle, Ireland

This tower house dates back to the 15th or 16th century. It sits majestically on a limestone outcrop overlooking west County Clare. On the left side, the privy (a latrine) can be seen protruding from the side wall, a simple long-drop solution for the disposal of unwanted waste. Also a way to deter an approaching enemy.

Stay here: The castle is pretty much a ruin, but the nearby historic Ballinalacken Castle Country House Hotel has rooms for $88 to $135. | More info

Doonagore Castle, Ireland

This 16th-century tower house in Doolin, County Clare, was inhabited by the powerful O’Briens clan. Back in 1688 it was a less-than-welcoming place to 170 unfortunate survivors of a shipwrecked Spanish Armada vessel who were captured and hanged here.

It’s one of more than 3,000 tower houses in Ireland, and was bought and restored as a holiday home in the 1970s by John Gorman, an Irish American.

The tower is located close to the Cliffs of Moher on a hill with commanding views of the Atlantic Ocean towards the Aran Islands. While most of the windows in the tower are small, there is one large window on the upper level that takes advantage of the views.

While you can’t stay inside the castle, the Sea View House offers rooms with views of the tower.

John Dorman

Houzz Contributor and architect in Ireland More