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Top 10 Facts about Belfast Castle

Belfast Castle is a medieval castle on the slopes of Cavehill Country Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland. One of its most iconic features is the winding stone staircase on the garden façade, whose greyish-brown colour stands out against the burnt sienna sandstone and brick-red detail.

The castle was designed and built in the Victorian version of the Scots Baronial style. Scots Baronial style was an architectural style that originally developed out of French-inspired Gothic styles during the Renaissance in Scotland in the sixteenth-century.

With its fascinating history and associations, its superb setting and views, and well-deserved reputation for good food, here are the top 10 facts about Belfast Castle;

1. The beginnings of Belfast Castle

Course of the disappeared Farset River

The first ‘Belfast Castle’ is believed to have been erected at Béal Feirste, Belfast, by the 1220s. It may have been built by the Normans, who invaded East Ulster in the late twelfth-century.

This original medieval castle was located on the southern bank of the River Farset and was probably used to guard the important ford across the River Lagan.

The medieval Belfast Castle was eventually seized by a branch of the powerful Uí Néill (O’Neill) dynasty of the Cénel nEógain, probably at the end of the fourteenth-century or the beginning of the fifteenth-century. It remained in their hands throughout the fifteenth- and sixteenth-centuries, with a few brief exceptions.

2. The Clandeboye Massacre

Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex – Wikipedia

In October 1574, The 1st Earl of Essex and his retinue were invited to a feast at Belfast Castle by Sir Brian mac Feidhlimidh Ó Néill, Lord of Lower Clandeboye.

The feast was to celebrate a newly signed peace agreement between the English Crown and Sir Brian. After three days and nights of feasting and celebrations, the English soldiers accompanying Lord Essex suddenly broke into Belfast Castle and murdered most of the family and retainers of Sir Brian inside the castle.

Sir Brian, along with his wife and his brother, were arrested by Lord Essex and, later in 1574, all three were executed in Dublin.

This event was ordered by Essex himself and is usually known as the Clandeboye Massacre.

3. Renovation of Belfast Castle by Sir Arthur Chichester

Sir Arthur Chicheste – Wikipedia

By 1603, Belfast Castle was in ruins, largely as a result of the Nine Years’ War. In July 1603, Sir Arthur Chichester offered to rebuild Belfast Castle if he was ‘granted’ Belfast and its surrounding lands by the Crown.

In August 1603, Sir Arthur Chichester received a King’s letter which officially put him in charge of Belfast Castle and its surrounding lands.

Rebuilding of the castle began in the early 1610s. The new castle was built of stone and timber on the same site as the previous castle.

4. Belfast Castle burned down

Belfast Castle burning in 1708 – Twitter

On the 24 April 1708, the Belfast Castle, which had been built for Lord Chichester, accidentally burnt down. The fire killed three sisters and one servant of The 4th Earl of Donegall, a descendant of the Chichester family.

The fire destroyed the castle, leaving only street names, such as Castle Place, to mark the location. This castle was never rebuilt.

Following this fire, the senior line of the Donegall family left Belfast. The head of the Donegall family would not live in Belfast again for almost a century, until The 2nd Marquess of Donegall settled in Belfast in 1802, establishing his main residence there.

5. The Belfast Castle that we know today

The 3rd Marquess of Donegall – Wikipedia

On the 1860s, The 3rd Marquess of Donegall decided to build what has been described as a new ‘princely ‘mansion’ for himself.

The new, Victorian castle was built in the Scots Baronial architectural style and was designed by the Belfast firm of Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon. It was finished in 1870.

This new residence was located on what was then the northern edge of Belfast. It was called Belfast Castle, in a nod to family history, even though it was built on a completely different site from the original castle site, which had been located right in the centre of Belfast.

6. Belfast Castle gifted to the city

Lord Shaftsbury – Wikipedia

Belfast Castle was passed to the Shaftesburys in October 1883. After the outbreak of the First World War Lord Shaftesbury found himself spending less and less time at Belfast Castle.

He also experiences financial difficulties managing the estate, especially after the various Land Acts passed by the British Parliament during the 1880s, 1890s and early twentieth-century. Especially under the of 1903, the huge country estates in Ireland, including those of the Shaftesbury family in Ulster, were broken up and sold off, mainly being sold to the tenant farmers who actually lived on and farmed the land.

The castle and its surrounding demesne were eventually gifted to the City of Belfast by Lord Shaftesbury in January 1934.

7. The Cavehill Country Park

Cave Hill, Belfast – Flickr

Today, the castle’s estate forms a part of the Cave Hill Country Park. The park is named after the five caves located on the side of the cliffs.

Cavehill Country park contains numerous archaeological and historical features, including Napoleon’s Nose, which is believed to have been the inspiration for Jonathan Swift’s novel Gulliver’s Travels. The Park is also home to McArts Fort, an ancient fort which stands at 1,200 feet above sea level.

8. Breathtaking views from the castle

Belfast Castle view – Wikimedia Commons

The Belfast Castle occupies a prominent position on the slopes of Cave Hill, some 120 metres (400 feet) above sea level. Its location provides unobstructed views over the City of Belfast and Belfast Lough.

Belfast Castle estate also contains both parkland and mature mixed woodland that is home to many different species of wildlife, including long-eared owls, sparrowhawks and Belfast’s rarest plant, the town hall clock.

9. The Belfast Castle cat myth

Belfast Castle Cat Garden – Flickr

According to legend, Belfast Castle is safe as long as there is a (preferably white) cat residing there. Also it is said that good fortune will come to those visiting the castle as long as the tradition of the castle cat is kept.

This myth led to the creation of the “Cat Garden” right next to the stately pile on the slopes of Cave Hill. Which boasts no less than nine cats for visitors to discover.

10. Free admission to the castle

Belfast Castle – Unsplash

The castle is normally open Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 10pm, Sunday and Monday it is normally opened 9am-5.30pm. There is no admission fee to the Belfast Castle.

Visitors can see a bedroom, set up in the style of the 1920s, so visitors can see a ‘snapshot in time’ of what the castle looked like at the end of its life as a private residence.

 The castle boasts an antique shop, a restaurant and visitor’s centre.