When the third Marquis of Donegall died in , the castle and its estate passed to Lord Ashley, the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury. The Donegall coat-of-arms appears over the front door and on the north wall of Belfast Castle. A section of the Shaftesbury crest also appears on the exterior staircase, now a popular spot for wedding photographs. This was not part of the original castle plans - instead, it was added in by the ninth Earl of Shaftesbury as a present to his mother.
The castle remained with the family for many years, before they eventually presented it and the surrounding estate to the city of Belfast in Between and the s, Belfast Castle was a popular venue for wedding receptions, dances and afternoon teas. In possession of Belfast Castle for only a few years upon the death of the 3rd Marquess in , the 8th Earl of Shaftesbury himself would die in , leaving the site to his then-teenaged son, Anthony-Ashley Cooper, the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury.
A dutiful and proud resident of the area, the young Earl would serve as Lord Mayor of Belfast in , eventually becoming simply Lord Shaftesbury. A philanthropic at heart, Lord Shaftesbury would go on to sell the various estates of the Donegall family, while residing in Belfast Castle. Following the terms of the British Land Acts, and due to the overwhelming financial burden of maintaining such a grand house——especially post World War I——Belfast Castle, and its surrounding area, was gifted to the City of Belfast by Lord Shaftesbury in , setting off a debate as to what to do with the offerings.
Lord Shaftesbury relinquished private ownership of the chapel and gifted it to the Church of Ireland Diocese of Down, Connor and Dromore in Belfast Castle experienced many style periods. The makeup of the original medieval castle remains cloaked in mystery, but the late Victorian era building the iteration that exists today is an example of the Scots Baronial style——an offshoot of French-inspired Gothic revival.
Conceived by the 3rd Marquess and designed by a local, Belfast architecture firm, the building includes towers, turrets and vaulted roofs——all of which were meant to showcase the excessive status and wealth of the home owner. Following the gifting of the property to the city in , Belfast Castle became an informal attraction for holidaymakers. Since the 17th century, St. Today, it seems that all of…. All over the world, we have been celebrating Halloween as a significant holiday.
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The Cat Garden celebrates that will no fewer than nine depictions of the cat in paving, sculpture and garden furniture. The castle's estate now forms part of Cave Hill Country Park. The park has three way-marked trails running through it. One of the trails takes you up the hill past the man-made caves to McArt's Fort which is an old Iron-Age ring fort. Belfast castle is open free of charge to visitors.
Down in the basement you'll find the castle antique shop and the Cellar Restaurant and Bar.
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