| Parliament Buildings | |
|---|---|
| Stormont | |
 | |
 Interactive map of Parliament Buildings | |
| Location | Stormont Estate,Belfast |
| Coordinates | 54°36′18″N5°49′56″W / 54.6050°N 5.8321°W /54.6050; -5.8321 |
| Built | 1932; 93 years ago (1932) |
| Architect | SirArnold Thornely |
| Architectural style | Greek classical style |
Listed Building – Grade A | |
| Official name | Parliament building, walls & lamp standards |
| Designated | 13 March 1987 |
| Reference no. | HB26/13/013[1] |
Parliament Buildings, often referred to asStormont, because of its location in theStormont Estate area ofBelfast, is the seat of theNorthern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature forNorthern Ireland. The purpose-built building, designed byArnold Thornely, and constructed by Stewart & Partners, was opened by Edward, Prince of Wales (later KingEdward VIII), in 1932.
The Executive or government is located atStormont Castle. In March 1987, the main Parliament Building became aGrade A Listed building.[1][2]
The need for a separate parliament building forNorthern Ireland emerged with the creation of the Northern IrelandHome Rule region withinUlster in theGovernment of Ireland Act 1920. Pending the construction of the new building, the newParliament of Northern Ireland met in two locations; one inBelfast City Hall, where the state opening of the first Parliament by KingGeorge V took place on 22 June 1921, and the other in the nearbyPresbyterian Church in Ireland'sAssembly's College.[3]
In 1922, a design by SirArnold Thornely of Liverpool was chosen and preparatory work on the chosen site, east of Belfast, began.[4] These plans were for a large domed building with two subsidiary side buildings, housing all three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial, giving rise to the plural in the official title still used today.[5]
These plans were found to be too costly, and it was decided to build only the Parliament Building, without the dome. The foundation stone was laid on 19 May 1928.[4] It was designed in theneoclassical style, built by Stewart & Partners inashlar stone and opened by Edward, Prince of Wales (later KingEdward VIII), on 16 November 1932.[6]
After the shelving of plans to build a "Ministerial Building", the headquarters of government was in effectStormont Castle, a baronial castellated house in the grounds and which was originally meant to have been demolished to make way for the "Ministerial Building". Stormont Castle served as the official residence of thePrime Minister of Northern Ireland and was the meeting place for the Northern IrelandCabinet.[7] Another building,Stormont House, served as the official residence of theSpeaker of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland.[8] The reduced plans saw theHigh Court eventually located in the newly builtRoyal Courts of Justice, Belfast in the city centre.[9]
Two separatechambers were provided in the finished parliamentary complex, the blue-benched rectangularHouse of Commons of Northern Ireland (green benches as at Westminster being considered inappropriate) and the red-benched smaller rectangularSenate of Northern Ireland. In the main hall, originally called theCentral Hall but now known as theGreat Hall, a large gold-plated chandelier was hung. It was a gift from King George V and had originally hung inWindsor Castle, where it had been a gift fromGerman EmperorWilhelm II. The Kaiser's chandelier had been removed from Windsor Castle and placed in storage duringWorld War I. It was never hung in Windsor Castle again.[10]
The paintingThe Entry of KingWilliam into Ireland, a gift from theDutch Government to its Northern Ireland counterpart, was hung in the House of Commons when it opened. However, it was removed after concerns that the painting also showed the Pope, who had blessed William's enterprise.[11]
The building itself changed little over the years, even as the parliaments meeting inside it did. To camouflage it duringWorld War II, the building's Portland stone was painted with supposedly removable "paint" made ofbitumen and cowmanure. However, after the war, removing the paint proved an enormous difficulty, with the paint having scarred the stonework. It took seven years to remove the "paint", and the exterior façade has never regained its original white colour. While most traces of it were removed from the façades (though having done damage that can be seen up close), some of the remains of the paint survive in the inner courtyards and unseen parts of the building.[12]
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Additional changes to the building and its environs include the erection of a statue toEdward, Lord Carson, in dramatic pose (on the drive leading up to the building) in 1932, a rare example of a statue to a person being erected before death, and the erection of a statue toLord Craigavon in the Great Hall, halfway up the Imperial Staircase. Craigavon and his wifeViscountess Craigavon are buried in the estate grounds.[13]
Throughout the building, Robert Adams "Crown Victor" and "Sceptre Victor" floor springs were used to control the doors.[14]
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The building was used for theParliament of Northern Ireland until it was prorogued in 1972. The Senate chamber was used by theRoyal Air Force (R.A.F.) as an operations room duringWorld War II. The building was used for the short-livedSunningdale power-sharing executive in 1974. Between 1973 and 1998, it served as the headquarters of theNorthern Ireland Civil Service (N.I.C.S.). Between 1982 and 1986, it served as the seat of therolling-devolution assembly.[15]
In the 1990s,Sinn Féin suggested that a new parliament building for Northern Ireland should be erected, saying that the building at Stormont was too controversial and too associated withunionist rule to be used by a power-sharing assembly. However, no one else supported the demand and the newNorthern Ireland Assembly and executive was installed there as its permanent home.[16]
On 3 December 2005, the Great Hall was used for the funeral service of formerNorthern Ireland andManchester United footballerGeorge Best. The building was selected for the funeral as it is in the only grounds in Belfast suitable to accommodate the large number of members of the public who wished to attend the funeral. Approximately 25,000 people gathered in the grounds, with thousands more lining the cortege route.[17]
On 29 September 2012, the grounds were used for anOrange Order parade in memory of the signing of theUlster Covenant. 60,000 people thronged the grounds after a parade through the streets of Belfast.[18]
On 24 November 2006,Michael Stone (a loyalist paramilitary member) was arrested for breaking into Stormont with an imitation handgun and a knife, and scrawling graffiti on Parliament Buildings itself.[19] Initial news reports indicated that he may have been carrying a "suspect device". Later, between six and eight pipe bombs were defused by theArmy.[19]
The entire House of Commons chamber was destroyed by a fire on 2 January 1995, blamed on an electrical fault in the wiring below the Speaker's chair. Critics alleged arson and noted how the destruction of the chamber allowed the creation of the modern, less-confrontational chamber now used by the power-sharingNorthern Ireland Assembly, which has no echo of the earlier seating arrangement. The British Government, citing the Doyle Report and the findings of the Northern Ireland forensic science laboratory, stated that it was "improbable" that the fire was deliberate.[20] The seating is arranged in ahorseshoe arrangement.[21]
Unlike the new Assembly chamber which replaced the old House of Commons chamber, theSenate chamber, with its red leather adversarial seats in two parallel blocks of benches, remains as it was originally designed. Irishdamask linen hangs on the walls; plans to line the walls with large oil paintings fell through. The chamber has not been used as a parliamentary chamber inplenary session since the suspension of devolved government in 1972. The Senate chamber is now used as a committee room.[22]
There have been few changes made to the chamber since the building opened in 1932. One change is the installation of television cameras and microphones. Another is the addition of two paintings. One painting, which is untitled, depicts the state opening of the Northern Ireland Parliament in 1921. Facing this painting on the opposing wall isThe House Shall Divide, a group portrait of the members elected to the inaugural Assembly in the1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election.[22]
A further alteration that has been made to the chamber since 1932 is the addition of an inscription in the marble of the balustrade of the Senate Chambers Press Gallery. The message reads: "This inscription records the gratitude of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom for the use of this chamber as an operations room by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War."[22]
The Stormont Estate is the site of Northern Ireland's main government buildings, including the Parliament Buildings,Stormont Castle andStormont House.
The regulations governing the use of the Stormont Estate are displayed at its entrance. These were initially enacted on 31 October 1933, in an order by theMinistry of Finance. These were eventually amended and the regulations currently in force are:
| Preceded by | Home of the Parliament of Northern Ireland 1932 – | Succeeded by |
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