On 16 November 1932, The Prince of Wales, Edward Windsor, opened Parliament Buildings. Parliament Buildings, often referred to as Stormont because of its location in the Stormont Estate area of Belfast, is the seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for the region. check the business diary for information on Plenary and Committee meetings. Assembly business continues, check the business diary for information on Plenary and Committee meetings. 14. Gradings. 05. Stormont, eastern suburb of Belfast, seat of the government of Northern Ireland.

Ungraded Quality Assurance; Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, County Antrim, BT4 3XX. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive. 09. Parliament Buildings, Stormont. 13. 06. The intended sites for the other two buildings are clearly visible today, these are the lower terraces in front, and to either side of Parliament Buildings. Standing at 92 feet high, Parliament Buildings is made from English Portland stone and is mounted on a granite base quarried from the Mourne Mountains in County Down. 12. 11.Original plans for Parliament Buildings actually involved three separate buildings to include law courts, a parliamentary building, and an administrative block. No public tours, events or visitor activities will take place, until further notice. To camouflage Parliament Buildings during World War II, the building's Portland stone was painted with a mixture of cow manure and bitumen. However, due to rising costs early in the project, the original plans were changed and only one building was constructed. Architect Arnold Thornley received a knighthood from George V in recognition of his architectural work on Parliament Buildings. The avenue leading up to Parliament Buildings is lined with 305 red-twigged lime trees which have survived since they were first planted in the 1920s. About Parliament Buildings is home to the Northern Ireland Assembly, the legislative body for Northern Ireland established under the Belfast Agreement 1998 (Good Friday Agreement). 04. Representing the number of counties in Northern Ireland, Parliament Buildings has six floors and there are six pillars at the entrance to the building. Book Tickets Online.

The Great Hall measures 26.85m x 14.31m and is the most richly-decorated part of Parliament Buildings. Statutory Rules and Papers Laid and Presented, Financial Support to Members and Political Parties. 80 years later, on 17 November 2012, a special open day will mark the historic occasion. He built Stormont Castle in 1830 which was described as a 'large plain house with very little planting about it'.

Removing the paint after the war was a huge challenge with the mixture having stained the stonework. The cost of constructing Parliament Buildings, which was completed in 1932, came close to £1.7 million. The Executive or government is located at Stormont Castle. In March 1987, the main Parliament Building became a Grade A Listed building. The grounds of Stormont Estate (224 acres at the time of purchase) cost approximately £20,000. In 1858 the exterior of the castle was redesigned in the Scottish Baronial style by the local architect Thomas Turner. Architect Sir Arnold Thornely of Liverpool designed Parliament Buildings to be 365ft wide, representing one foot for every day of the year.

15. The Stormont Estate was established by the Reverend John Cleland in the early nineteenth century. The paint mixture took seven years to remove and the exterior façade never regained its original white colour. Read press releases, watch live and archived video, 2020 © Northern Ireland Assembly Commission. 10. Located on an estate of 300 acres (120 hectares), it includes the Parliament Buildings and Stormont House, which once served as the official residence of the prime minister of Northern Ireland. It is one mile from the gates at the bottom of Prince of Wales Avenue to the front steps of Parliament Buildings. 01. It sits at Parliament Buildings at Stormont in Belfast.

There are almost 2000 meters of corridors across the six floors in Parliament Buildings. The Northern Ireland Assembly (Irish: Tionól Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: Norlin Airlan Assemblie), frequently referred to by the metonym Stormont (and incorrectly as Stormont Castle), is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. This explains why it is called 'Parliament Buildings' (plural) even though it is a single standalone building. The Assembly was in a period of suspension until January 20… On 19 May 1928, the Governor of Northern Ireland the Duke of Abercorn laid the Foundation Stone for Parliament Buildings. 07.