A Walk to Stormont Estate (4/5/24)

One of the places Bob and I knew we wanted to visit in Belfast is Stormont, which is the Northern Ireland Assembly building. The building is the seat of the devolved government for Northern Ireland, and as we just discovered today, lies on a beautiful estate that is well used by the public.

The walk from our hotel to Stormont was 4.5 miles and took about an hour and 45 minutes. It took us over a pedestrian bridge and then through East Belfast and other neighborhoods. As is typical in the UK, we had clouds, sun, rain, and sometimes a mixture. The temperature was great, however, mid to upper 50s, and the rain was never very heavy.

We started our walk on the promenade behind our hotel and had an early opportunity for a mixed species big head shot for Bob.

Looking towards the pedestrian bridge from the promenade

Capturing the city train crossing the Lagan River near us

A titanic mural on a building on the way

East Belfast is the Unionist/ Loyalist side,
so the memorials we passed today were those individuals
killed by the IRA.

A cute local branch library near C.S. Lewis Square.
C.S. Lewis was born in Belfast

Map of the lovely Stormont Estate, including a castle,
the parliamentary building, a children’s park,
woodland trails, and gardens

One of the woodland trails near the children’s playground

Looking up Prince of Wales Avenue
towards the parliament building

The parliament building is open to the public during weekdays from 9-4, and tours are conducted at 11 and 2 daily. You have to reserve tickets for the tours. We did not because they were all reserved by the time we checked into it. However, when we entered the helpful guy up front took us to the Assembly Chamber where the 11 am tour was ending so we could see the chamber before doing our own self-guided tour later.

Although the Northern Ireland Parliament was established in 1921, this building wasn’t completed until 1932, when it was officially opened by the Prince of Wales, Edward VIII. The Northern Ireland Parliament was dissolved in 1972 by the Stormont Government as a response to the violence (start of “The Troubles”) enacted by the Republicans (IRA) who felt that their needs were not being equally addressed by the government. It was reinstated under the Northern Ireland Elections Act of 1998 as part of the Good Friday Agreement.