AUDIO: Clifton House and Its Early Development, with Marcus Patton

This year marks 250 years since Clifton House first opened its doors as a Poorhouse in 1774 which makes it the oldest working building in Belfast. To celebrate this milestone anniversary we will produce a brand new short series of audio recordings which will explore various themes across the year.

In keeping with January’s theme, then, the first of these recordings we have taken a closer look at the early development and architecture of Clifton House in the context of the growing town of Belfast. With me I had James Cromey (Archive Co-ordinator for the Great Place North Belfast Project) – James has spent some time digging in our archives and getting to grips with the early history of Clifton House. Also with me was Marcus Patton OBE – Marcus is a retired architect, historian, and former chairman of the Historic Buildings Council. He is the author of several publications including the important Central Belfast – An Historical Gazetteer in 1993.

Listen below: