Castle

Gardens

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The Lisburn Coat of Arms

Do you know what all the elements of the Coat of Arms represent? What is Lisburn’s motto? Why?

The original castle belonged to a clan named the O’Neill’s. King James I gave it to Sir Fulke Conway in 1611. The church on the site is now known as Lisburn Cathedral

Sir Fulke died in an accidental fire at his home in March 1624. Succeeded by his elder brother, Sir Edward Conway who died 1630. Succeeded by son, also called Edward.

Lisburn Castle

Lisnagarvey was burnt by a fire during the Great Rebellion of 1641 but the the castle remained unharmed. It was then that the name of Lisnagarvey began to change to that of ‘Lisburn’.

In 1707, a great fire halted the growth of Lisburn. Once again it was reduced to ashes, this time even the great castle fell to the flames. The castle was never rebuilt, but its gardens remained to become the property of the people of Lisburn in the 19th century.

Fire !

Wallace HouseSir Richard Wallace (1880-1890) was Landlord of Lisburn. This was originally Sir Wallace’s house Costing £20,000 to build. It was given to the town in 1914 & is now the technical college..

War memorialUnveiled in 1923 to commemorate the people from Lisburn who died in the First World War. Names of people who died in World War 2 were added later. The bronze statue of ‘Victory’ is by Henry C. Fehr.

Things to see

Lord Robert’s OakNamed after under General John Nicholson in India in the late 1800’s, Lord Robert came to Lisburn in 1903 to view Nicholson’s memorial in Lisburn Cathedral.

Air Raid ShelterUsed as shelter from bomb debris during the World Wars. It was never used, as Lisburn was never bombed.

Crimean CannonA trophy of the Crimean War (1856-56), the Russian cannon was captured at the Battle of Sebastopol. Admiral Meynel presented it to the people of Lisburn in 1858.

Egret FountainThis decorative metal

sculpture depicts 3 egrets. An egret is a small heron.

Wallace MemorialIn 1870 Sir Richard Wallace

became the landlord of Lisburn. After his death in

1890, Lady Wallace’s heir, Sir John Murray Scott, gave

Castle Gardens to the people of Lisburn on behalf of Sir

Wallace.

Wallace Drinking FountainsSir Richard Wallace commissioned these fountains to be made in Paris. They were made by Charles-Auguste Lebourge. The four caryatids represent kindness, charity, sobriety and simplicity.

The East GatewayThe Castle Gate was the

former entrance to the 17th Century Conway

Castle.

Musket Loops

Castle Gardens is the original site of Lisburn Castle. The manor house was built in the early 1600’s and surrounded by castle walls as defensive fortification.

The Perron This grand double staircase leads from the centre of a bowling green above down to the first terrace of the walled garden. What could the main vault have been used for?

Garden Terraces The 17th century terrace

garden was used forrecreation by residents

and guests of the castle. It also had an orchard and a pond

stocked with fish.

The Gazebo This may have been a

summerhouse for guests or residents. A basement

room survives below ground containing an oven, fireplace

and tiled floor.

The TurretThis semi-circular lookout tower was probably used as a garden structure and for defences.

Only one turret survived, but there may have been more.

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