On the slopes of Cave Hill, 120 metres above the city and overlooking Belfast Lough, this Scottish Baronial mansion replaced two earlier castles that the Chichester family had occupied since the late twelfth century. The first was a Norman fortification in the city centre; the second, built by Sir Arthur Chichester in 1611, burned to the ground in 1708 and was never rebuilt. When the 3rd Marquess of Donegall decided in 1862 to construct a new residence within his deer park, he commissioned the firm of Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon to design something suitably grand. Junior partner John Lanyon drew up the plans in the Victorian Scots Baronial style, incorporating stepped gables, asymmetric towers and turrets, and pink Scrabo sandstone quarried in County Down. Construction ran from 1867 to 1870 and far exceeded the initial budget of 11,000 pounds, requiring the Marquess's son-in-law Lord Ashley, heir to the Earl of Shaftesbury title, to fund its completion. An ornate Baroque external staircase connecting the reception rooms to the garden terraces was added in 1894. The Shaftesbury family gifted the castle and its surrounding estate to the City of Belfast in 1934. Today the Grade A listed building operates as a restaurant, coffee shop, wedding venue, and function space managed by Belfast City Council. The gardens include a formal Cat Garden featuring nine feline sculptures, a nod to the local legend that the castle's fortunes are tied to the presence of a white cat on the estate. Surrounding the castle, Cave Hill Country Park offers walking trails up to the summit at 368 metres, where five artificial caves and the profile known as Napoleon's Nose command views across the city to the Mourne Mountains. The park and castle grounds are open daily and free to enter. The Antrim Road approach passes through dense woodland of oak, beech, and ash before arriving at the castle's formal terrace, from which the city, shipyard cranes, and the waters of Belfast Lough are all visible. The interior retains period features including a grand staircase, ornate plasterwork ceilings, and carved fireplaces, though the ground floor has been adapted for the restaurant and coffee shop that now operate daily.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Antrim Road, Belfast, United Kingdom, BT15 5GR

Website: https://www.belfastcastle.co.uk/

Opening Date: 01/01/1870