The Red Master Room

Stay: The Castle

The Red Room has been at the centre of family life at Castle Leslie Estate for centuries – a doorway in and out of this life, so to speak. Anita Leslie King gave birth to her daughter Leonie in this room.

Norman Leslie was seen by Lady Marjorie Leslie beside the chest of drawers in 1914, a few weeks after he had been killed on the battlefields of France. He appeared as if in a cloud of light, reading through some of his letters, as if he was searching for one in particular. Lady Marjorie sat up in bed with a start, and said, `Why Norman – what are you doing here?’ He simply turned to her and smiled, then faded away.

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Lady Marjorie held court and received visitors in the Red Room until her death in 1951. At the very moment of her departure she appeared in Desmond Leslie’s London flat where his son Sean, then a baby, was dying of a poisoned mastoid. She came up the corridor in a gust of wind touched Sean, who suddenly said, “pain gone.” He was perfectly cured.

About the same time, Desmond’s mother-in-law, Emmy Bernauer, had a vision of Marjorie pointing across the lake to a fantastic palace glowing in the sky. Marjorie said to her `Look where I am going to live now.’

Helen and Desmond Leslie claimed the Red Room as their bedroom when they lived in the Castle from the 1970s onwards. Their daughters Sammy and Camilla used to wake them up in the morning by jumping on the bed and then refusing to go to the village school, which in those days only taught knitting, catechism and Irish.

However, without the interference of children, the Red Room is a very pleasant room in which to relax. Blessed with the most stunning views of Glaslough lake and pleasure gardens, the Red Room is one of the Master Suites and also one of the most popular bedrooms in the Castle for luxury breaks. With its magnificent four poster bed, it is perfect for those looking for a special romantic getaway in Ireland. Except for the noble French ‘armoire’ cupboard, all the furniture in the room including the four poster bed came from Perugia in Italy.

The huge paneled bath is the first bath ever installed in Castle Leslie Estate. For many years it was hardly more than a show piece. Amazed visitors were shown how it worked, and on occasion were even allowed to turn the huge taps on and off. However, only children, dogs and servants actually took baths in it! The tub is so deep that climbing out can be difficult. Now restored to its former glory, it is a lovely place for guests to relax with their partners while sipping an evening drink during luxury breaks. The quirky and unique throne toilet was invented and designed by Sammy Leslie to fit in with the grand surroundings.