Almondsey


Pozwitz Grange, Estalia

Paladrian Castle

Site Description

Lech Pozwitz was a Polish count who befriended an Archduke in the late 19th Century. He was an avid fisherman and hunter and particularly liked the salmon fishing on the River Lin and shooting of the wily mountain goats that haunt the moors and hills west of the gorge. The duke built this hunting lodge resembling a Scottish Baronial estate for his friend when he decided to retire to Estalia. This is a rather elaborate mansion of the late Victorian style and is quite a bit more comfortable than Paladrian Castle as a dwelling, although it is remote and hard to get to. It can be accessed by footpath along the mud and shingle bank from the castle a mile or so south and also by road winding up the side of the Lin Gorge and ending up at Craglin Castle.

The service wing on the east is fully equipped with then state-of-the-art, labor-intensive offices, and there is accommodation for up to ten servants on the upper floors (four men, four maids, and a married couple -- housekeeper and butler). The butler's bedroom on the plan is actually his pantry; he and his wife lived in the southwest first-floor bedroom (at least the long-term originals, Mr and Mrs Wingtop, did so). The ground floor also has a library, game room (cards and billiards), dining room, lobby with a cloak room and lavatory, and the two-storied Great Hall. A postern door leads from the Great Hall into the garden area north of the Grange. On the first floor is a guest bedroom, the servants' quarters with a parlor, drawing room, and butler/housekeeper bedroom. Access to the western wing is via the balcony running along the south side of the Great Hall. The top floor has six more bedrooms, including the lord's suite in the west wing. It also has an upper parlor. There are two fully equipped bathrooms and three water closets in the building.

The stable has stalls for three horses, two of which are used to pull the 'house dray' up the cliff to the road. Grooms and gamekeepers are also housed here. Permanently on staff are four grooms, four beaters, the head ostler (chauffeur), and the gamekeeper, who for time immemorial has been a member of the Larnfair clan.

Pozwitz Grange is situated on the limestone platform that runs intermittently to Paladrian Castle and which ceases just north of the building beyond the Nae Brook. There is a small precinct wall around the grange, with a garden area to the north and the stable block to the south; it has a gatehouse and a small gazebo tower. From the gatehouse, a footpath runs south to Paladrian Castle and a driveway winds up the cliffs of the Lin Gorge to access the road to Craglin Castle. A boat landing on the east side provides more efficient access to Paladrian Castle via the River Lin.

When last heard of publically, Pozwitz Grange was under consideration for conversion into a hotel or pay-for hunting lodge, but the prospects seem pretty dim to make a success of it considering the difficulties in reaching the site.

Stable Block
Site Map
Lin Gorge

Estalia