Over 1,000 people come along and mark this impressive milestone of Clifton House and the organisation who built in and who have called it home for 250 years …Belfast Charitable Society.
On Sunday 1 September Clifton House opened its house and grounds for a free community event celebrating the 250th anniversary of one of Belfast’s oldest buildings.
Heritage Day celebrated the long history of the house and its significant importance in developing and helping the city of Belfast through a day of traditional skills and crafts, live music and food.
First opening its doors in 1774 as the poorhouse of Belfast, Clifton House remains the home of Belfast Charitable Society, who fundraised, built it, and managed it from 1774, and who ensure that its uses remain true to the charity’s mission – to look after those in need.
Today it remains an iconic sight on the city’s skyline, synonymous with addressing poverty and disadvantage in the community.
Prof Alastair Adair, chair of Belfast Charitable Society explained: “Our Heritage Day is the flagship event in our 250th anniversary calendar of activities, which launched in January this year, and will run until December 2024.
“Since January we have launched a number of special legacy projects, including a new teaching resource for KS2 children; hosted special talks, tours, conferences and exhibitions; and ran a monthly themed social media campaign, and all of which is helping us tell the story of Clifton House throughout its 250 years.
“We were delighted to open Clifton House and grounds today as part of this special celebratory event, and to let people learn more about this significant building, which lies in the heart of Belfast and which is so important to the city’s history.”
Paula Reynolds, CEO of Belfast Charitable Society, expanded: “It was important to us to create a fun day that was open and accessible to the local community and beyond, and we are just so delighted that so many people of all ages came along to enjoy the variety of heritage skills and craft demonstrations taking place. We also had a local craft fair in the beautiful grounds of the house, traditional children’s games, including a history hunt; some fabulous live music; and most importantly our team of amazing volunteers were on hand to share stories of the history of Clifton House.
“Visitors were also able to take part in our first ever History Harvest, run in conjunction with partners in the North Belfast Heritage Cluster and its Great Place North Belfast project. We had over 80 people come along and share their memories and stories of North Belfast with us, which was just amazing.”
Alastair continued: “We want to thank Belfast City Council for their support and our partner Radius Housing, for helping us to make this day really special. We can’t think of a better backdrop than the magnificent building that is Clifton House for an event such as this. Now in its 250th year, and still going strong.”
For further details on Clifton House’s 250th Anniversary, including how you can make a donation, please visit https://cliftonbelfast.com/clifton-house-250/