Former King of Spain visits Clonmellon!

The community of Clonmellon welcomed royalty to their neck of the woods on Wednesday last when the former King of Spain, Juan Carlos, turned up at a community function.

The monarch was a surprise guest of honour at the official opening of the newly refurbished former St John the Baptist Church, which has been restored to its former glory and will be used as an art space and community garden.

The entire village was invited along at 5pm for the grand opening, at the request of Allen and Lorena Krause, owners of Killua Castle and who are responsible for the former Church of Ireland's restoration.

The pair, who are natives of Mexico, decided to rescue Killua Castle from ruin back in 1999 and included in the deeds was St John's, which the couple began to salvage and bring back to life last year.

Juan Carlos is a close family friend of Allen and Lorena, and those in attendance last Wednesday were surprised and delighted when Allen Krause announced that the special guest for the evening was in fact the former King of Spain.

Juan Carlos reigned as King of Spain from 1975 until 2014, when he abdicated in favour of his son, Prince Felipe. Juan Carlos is the grandson of Alfonso XIII, the last king of Spain prior to the monarchy's abolition in 1931 and the subsequent declaration of the Second Spanish Republic.

Located in a round enclosure with an old graveyard to the south of the village centre, St John's Church is accessed down a long tree-lined avenue. 

Bringing it back to life required a major overhaul, including the replacement of its wooden doors, lead windows, and roof. Renovations began with internal and external lime plastering, followed by new flooring and lighting, and electrical wiring for a sound system.

The church bell has been replaced, as has the original spire, which fell back in the 1840s. 

Outside, detailed landscaping took place including the cleaning of the graveyard and the repair of the graves, while a gazebo marks a new addition.

Many from the Church of Ireland community were in attendance, including some who would have worshipped at St John's many years ago, and all were delighted with its new lease of life. On the evening, photographs of local scenes from the estate, captured in black and white by Lorena adorned the walls, while a new art installation suspended from the ceiling, was admired by all.

Killua Castle was built in the mid-1780s for the Chapman family, cousins of Sir Walter Raleigh. 

The seventh and final baronet, Sir Thomas Chapman, left his wife and daughters to live with another woman; one of the five sons from this union was T E Lawrence, otherwise known as Lawrence of Arabia.

Killua has passed through several owners since the death of Sir Thomas in 1919. In 1944, its fixtures and fittings were sold, and not long after, the castle's roof was removed and its lead sold.

Killua stood exposed to the elements until lovingly refurbished by Allen and Lorena Krause almost 20 years ago.