Historical places of interest ranging from castles to cottages, domains to dolmens, battlegrounds to birthplaces. Places of interest to us and also, hopefully, to you.
Newcastle is a lovely coastal town on Dundrum Bay in County Down popular for Its long sandy beach and Mourne mountains backdrop.
The small church of St Peter’s (‘The Rock’) has a ‘big’ history of Christian worship over hundreds of years, often in times of persecution.
For centuries Belfast lay on low-lying land between two rivers, the Farset & the Blackstaff. Taming the Blackstaff proved very difficult.
The story of the trial & execution of William Orr – a man committed to establishing a new Ireland where all men were treated equally
The grand house called Parkmount and its extensive demesne has long gone, its existence reflected only in current residential street names.
Crumlin Road Courthouse, a ‘really magnificent building’ with nearly 150 years’ of Belfast history now lies in ruins. This is its story
The story of Belfast’s ‘House of Industry’ and the struggle against extreme poverty in the early 19th century.
On Sunday 25th April 1708, the inhabitants of Belfast woke to the sight of Belfast Castle, their most prestigious building, a heap of smouldering ashes
The story of the ‘forgotten cemetery’ at St George’s Church, Belfast and the fate of the dead beneath our streets
St Cedma’s Church, a thousand years of history, and an abundance of stained glass windows – each with a story to tell
Belfast’s First Town Hall “A Rate made and agreed uppon by the Sovraigne and Burgesses the 12th day of October 1639 for the fittinge of the Towne Hall with p’titiones bench and a Barr & other necessaryes for the use of the Courts” This is the first mention of a Read more
Castle Ward: When a husband and wife vehemently disagreed on the ‘look’ of their planned mansion, they came to an unusual compromise.
The story of Fortwilliam Park from it’s earliest times featuring a past fort, it’s wealthy merchants and a famous actress.
The tale of the ancient Dobbins Inn in Carrickfergus and its tumultuous past including an ill-fated romance and ghostly inhabitants
The history of Bangor Castle on the site of the earlier Abbey which was once renowned as ‘The Light of the World’
The Abbey at Whiteabbey has undergone several major transformations in its time but now lies derelict, another lost mansion.
Today it is hard to imagine the grandeur of 19th century Victoria Street, once central to Belfast commerce. A few notable buildings remain.
Glynn, from the Irish ‘glean’ meaning ‘the valley’ is a small picturesque village in County Antrim in the barony of Lower Belfast.
The story of two famous Belfast restaurants – The Carlton Restaurant in Donegall Place and Café and the Lombard Café in Lombard Street.
Kilclief Castle, an old tower-house on the shore of Strangford Lough County Down, is often remembered for a scandalous occupant, Bishop Sely
The story behind Purdysburn mansion, later to become Belfasts Mental Health and Infectious Diseases hospital.