As part of the National Lottery’s 25th birthday celebrations, we wanted to share how Clifton House has benefited from funding throughout the years.
Following the Belfast Charitable Society’s ‘Home from Home’ appeal, which raised money for a purpose built Care Home at Carlisle Circus, Clifton House was refurbished to enhance the accommodation for older people in […]
Did you know that the Poor House had it’s own vegetable garden and farm? Belfast Charitable Society made the most of the land they owned around the Poor House to make it as self sufficient as possible. The vegetable garden was used to provide the essentials to feed our residents. However, it was common that […]
A brutal stabbing in 1810, which led to a Portuguese sailor being hanged near Carrickfergus, became a sensation of the time. His name was Antonio de Silva, a sailor on board an American ship in Belfast harbour. He allegedly stabbed to death a ship’s carpenter called Robert Morrison, near Prince’s Street, and was subsequently tried […]
On this day, 7th October, 1847 the body of an unknown child, found dead in the vicinity of Donegall Pass, was buried in Clifton Street Cemetery, following an inquest into the death. The ‘Weekly Vindicator’ reported on the proceedings in explicit detail:
It appeared from the evidence, that two little boys had been going across the fields, […]
By the 1st October 1768 work was well and truly underway to source the materials required to begin construction of the Poor House which had been envisioned at the first meeting of Belfast Charitable 16 years previously.
Offers came from various philanthropists, but on this day 1768 the Belfast Charitable Society wrote a letter to Mr […]
This Halloween Week Clifton House will be hosting a special Halloween tour of Clifton Street Cemetery. Opened in 1797 as the ‘New Burying Ground’ there are many tales to be told here. Death, Tragedy & Betrayal focuses on the ‘darker side’ of the graveyard’s history- from the infamous body snatchers which plagued the cemetery in its […]
Distinguished and respected Irish historian, Professor Marianne Elliott, officially launched a new version of ‘The Life and Times of Mary Ann McCracken – A Belfast Panorama’ at Clifton House this week.
The book, first published by its author, Mary McNeill in 1960, has been republished as part of a number of events to celebrate Mary Ann […]
The Poor House was requisitioned by the military during the 1798 Rebellion and for time afterwards. The Committee were forced to meet in the Exchange Building and other premises during this period. In March 1799 a letter was received from the Inspector General of Barracks.
Belfast 4th Mar: 1799
Gentlemen,
I hereby give notice that the
Poor House occupied […]
A unique social enterprise in Derry is offering art and wellbeing programmes for people with physical, sensory and learning disabilities in order to enable them to develop holistically and to provide them with essential job skills. Each week over 200 people are benefitting from day opportunities and multisensory programmes at Artspace.
Artspace opened in April 2012 […]
Our ever popular lecture series returns this November! Belfast Charitable Society, in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, are hosting Explorations in Modern Ireland History (1919-1969), a lecture series which will chart Irish history from the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence through to 1969. Taking in topics as diverse as […]
