There have been castles in the area known as Béal Feirste since the 1220s, Béal Feirste being the Irish name for Belfast. The English meaning is ‘Mouth (Béal) of the Farset’, this refers to a sandbank or ford that existed at the mouth of the River Farset where it flowed into the River Lagan. However this is a completely different site to the one where the current Belfast Castle was built which dates to the 1860s and is on the slopes leading up to Cave Hill, 120 metres above sea level with commanding views over the city and Belfast Lough. The castle was commissioned and designed by architect firm Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon in 1862 in the Scottish baronial style which was popular at the time and paid for by the 3rd Marquis of Donegall. The castle was completed in 1870 and cost considerably more than the £11,000 that it has been costed at. The Marquis died in 1883 and his daughter Lady Harriet and her husband the Eight Earl of Shaftesbury inherited the castle, however the Eight Earl died only three years later in 1886 and his son the Ninth Earl inherited the castle. This Lord Shaftesbury was the longest inhabitant of the castle and added the Baroque stone staircase to the garden side of the castle. In 1934 he gifted the castle to the city of Belfast. The building is now used for weddings and corporate events and the ground floor and basement can be accessed (there is a nice tea rooms in the basement) however it must be said, and noting from the other visitors on the day we were there, that I think it would be nice if more of the castle was accessible. It seems unfortunate that so much of it can only be seen at private events but indeed that’s just my opinion and I’m glad its accessible at all. The views from the castle and its gardens are worth the short trek from the city and it’s a good route to take if ascending Cave Hill.
GPS: 54.64273, -5.94248