The Mint
About
The Mint is a three-storey limestone tower house in the middle of the village, dated to the 15th or 16th century and named for the licence to mint coins granted to Carlingford by Edward IV in 1467. No coin from a Carlingford mint has ever been found, and the building may in fact have been the house of a wealthy merchant family, possibly the Marmions, rather than a mint at all. What makes it worth stopping for is the carving: five ogee-headed windows on the ground and first floors, decorated with a horse, a man's bust, a bird, a snake and Celtic interlace, along with hood mouldings and mullions. There is a battlemented walkway on the roof with musket loops, and a machicolation over the doorway. It is a National Monument, and like Taaffe's Castle it is a street-level look rather than a visit.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓Five carved ogee windows with a horse, a man's bust, a bird, a snake and Celtic interlace
- ✓A battlemented roof walkway with musket loops and a machicolation over the door
- ✓Named for a minting licence granted by Edward IV in 1467, though no coins from it have ever been found
Tips
- →Stand back across the street to see the carved windows properly; they are easy to miss walking past.
- →There is no interior access.
- →Free and open at any hour, which makes it a good stop on a winter afternoon when the castle tour is not running.
Best Season
More Attraction Activities
King John's Castle (Carlingford Castle)
The Norman castle above the harbour, begun around 1190 and named for King John's 1210 visit, reopened for guided tours in season after a long Office of Public Works conservation programme.
Carlingford Heritage Centre
A heritage centre in the restored medieval Holy Trinity church, and the organisation behind Carlingford's guided town and castle tours.
Taaffe's Castle
An early 16th-century fortified merchant's townhouse on the seaward side of the village, probably built as a trading depot. A National Monument, viewed from the street.