Killarney a.k.a. Stollmeyer's Castle

Killarney a.k.a Stollmeyer's Castle. Taken Sunday 14th February, 2016

Killarney a.k.a Stollmeyer's Castle.
Taken Sunday 14th February, 2016

Killarney was constructed on lands that, at the time, were previously utilized as Government Stock Farm and  was the first house of the Magnificent Seven to be erected. Another commonly recognised name is Stollmeyer’s Castle, named after Charles Fourier Stollmeyer, the man who constructed the building in 1902, based on plans draughted  by Scottish architect Robert Gillies. The name Killarney arose when Mr. Stollmeyer and his wife gave the residence to his son and his daughter-in-law who re-named  it after a town in County Kerry, southwest Ireland, where she wished to spend her honeymoon. Killarney was patterned after a wing of Balmoral Castle, the private residence of the Queen, in Scotland and  is therefore reminiscent of Scottish Baronial architectural design.

Balmoral Castle.
(Source: The official website of The British Monarchy; accessed February29th, 2016)
Inspiration for the design of Killarney

Scottish Baronial is a design which originally appeared along the boarders of England  during the latter of the Middle Ages. The tower houses that could be commonly seen at the time were strictly a functional response to the violence and insecurity that existed from the 14^th to the 17^th century’s Wars of Independence in Scotland. Within a decade, the style had emerged nationally, and served some aesthetic purpose rather than functionality. There was an increased emphasis on details in the form of turrets, steeper roofs and other decorative features, such as gabled round-towers which could be seen in Claypotts Castle, Dundee shown below:

Claypotts Castle, Dundee.
(Source: Researching Historic Buildings in the British Isles; accessed February 29th, 2016)

FUN Fact: Killarney was occupied by US forces during WWII, and afterwards occupied by members of the Stollmeyer family until 1972 when it was purchased by insurance executive Jessy Henry.


Currently, there is an initiative for restoration undertaken by the Office of the Prime Minister, in collaboration with the Citizens for Conservation. Among the other seven historical buildings, Killarney was one that was in relatively good condition at first sight.

Stollmeyer's Castle Restoration Project. Taken Sunday 14th February, 2016

The Magnificent Seven - History and Architecture

In this blog, we consider how, through the era of colonialism, Trinidad and Tobago’s culture has been transformed into a wealthy and collectively diversified entity. The Europeans, as the first imposers driven by the search for wealth, brought into the Caribbean them their culture, food, wealth, style, religion and architecture. Of these attributes, their architecture has been the most pronounced in our urban center, Port of Spain. Till today, several valued and architecturally preserved buildings that stand in Port of Spain remind us of who we are and from how far in terms of development we have transcended. The most renowned examples of buildings from imposing European architecture are found situated at northwest corner of the Queen’s Park Savannah. These buildings, seven in all, are a group of mansions referred to as the Magnificent Seven. From north to south they are namely; Killarney, Whitehall, Archbishop’s House, Roomor, Millie Fleurs, Haynes Court and Queen’s Royal College.

The Magnificent Seven
(Source: Pinterest; photo by Striderv on Flickr; Accessed March 3rd)