| Hillsborough Castle | |
|---|---|
 Hillsborough Castle garden facade | |
  Location in Northern Ireland | |
| General information | |
| Location | Royal Hillsborough,County Down, Northern Ireland |
| Coordinates | 54°27′41″N6°05′10″W / 54.46127°N 6.08604°W /54.46127; -6.08604 |
| Owner | King Charles III in right ofthe Crown[1] |
| Website | |
| www.hrp.org.uk | |
Hillsborough Castle is an officialgovernment residence inNorthern Ireland. It is theofficial residence of theSecretary of State for Northern Ireland,[2] and the official residence in Northern Ireland of theBritish monarch and other members of theBritish royal family when they visit the region, as well as a guest house for prominent international visitors.
.jpg)
From 1924 until the post's abolition in 1973, it was the official residence of theGovernor of Northern Ireland.[3] Since April 2014, it has been managed byHistoric Royal Palaces, and is open to paying members of the public.[4][5]
Hillsborough Castle, which is located in the village ofRoyal Hillsborough in the north-west ofCounty Down, is not a truecastle. It is aGeorgiancountry house built in the 18th century for the Hill family,Marquesses of Downshire, who owned it until 1922, whenthe 7th Marquess of Downshire sold the mansion and its grounds to the British government.[3] In buying it, the government solved a practical problem. Under theGovernment of Ireland Act 1920, a new, distinct region of theUnited Kingdom calledNorthern Ireland had been created within the traditionalprovince ofUlster, but minus three counties—Cavan,Donegal, andMonaghan—which became part of theIrish Free State. Executive authority had been vested for both Northern Ireland and its sister region,Southern Ireland, in theLord Lieutenant of Ireland, who was supposed to be one of two all-Ireland features (along with theCouncil of Ireland) in the newhome rule structure. However, that office was abolished in a law change following theAnglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, which in effect aborted Southern Ireland (which had in reality only existed on paper) and established theIrish Free State.[6]
A new office for Northern Ireland alone was created, that ofGovernor of Northern Ireland. As theViceregal Lodge inDublin became unavailable, physically and politically, a new residence was needed. Hillsborough Castle, though outside the largest city of Northern Ireland,Belfast, was deemed a suitable location. After some renovations, the first governor,the 3rd Duke of Abercorn, moved in during 1925. Upon becoming the official residence of the governor, the building was officially renamedGovernment House.[7]
Within the grounds of the castle are a number of trees planted by residents of, and visitors to, the estate. These include a tree (Abies albertiana) planted by the Duke of Abercorn, the first Governor of Northern Ireland, in October 1925.[8]
Following the decision to abolish Northern Ireland's devolved system of government and institute direct rule from London in March 1972, all Northern Irish governmental posts, including that of Governor andPrime Minister of Northern Ireland, were abolished. Those two posts were in effect combined to create the office ofSecretary of State for Northern Ireland. As the then Queen's representative, the Secretary of State moved into Hillsborough Castle at that time.[9]
Hillsborough Castle continued to be used for important meetings and conferences; it was the location of the signing of theAnglo-Irish Agreement on 15 November 1985,[10] andMo Mowlam broke new ground when she opened the extensive grounds of the castle to the public in April 1999.[11][note 1]
Queen Elizabeth II andPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, stayed in Hillsborough Castle during their visit to Northern Ireland as part of theGolden Jubilee tour of the United Kingdom in 2002.[3] and thePresident of the United States,George W. Bush, visited the castle in 2003.[7]
The house was also used in January 2010 for talks between British Prime MinisterGordon Brown, IrishTaoiseachBrian Cowen and representatives of theDemocratic Unionist Party (DUP) andSinn Féin on the crisis over Northern Irish policing, which threatened to derail power-sharing and to collapse theNorthern Ireland Executive.[12] Then, in April 2014, the thenPrince of Wales held aninvestiture at Hillsborough Castle, the first one to be held in Northern Ireland since the venue became a royal residence.[13]
On 13 September 2022,King Charles III visited the castle withQueen Camilla and responded to an official message of condolence from theNorthern Ireland Executive.[14]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
