Robert M Chapple, Archaeologist

[** If you like this post, please make a donation to the IR&DD project using the secure button at the right. If you think it is interesting or useful, please re-share via Facebook, Google+, Twitter etc. To help keep the site in operation, please use the amazon search portal at the right - each purchase earns a small amount of advertising revenue **] <  Part I In Part I of this post I set out how I, in the face of overwhelming non enthusiasm from my children, went out and enjoyed two beautiful buildings ( Netherleigh House & The Strand Arts Centre [ Website | Facebook ]) as part of European Heritage Open Days 2013 . That day (Saturday 14th September) had been warm and sunny – a last Hurrah for the late summer. The Sunday was not the same at all. It was wet, windy, overcast, and pretty miserable. My children – wonderful though they are – were putting up some stiff resistance to the idea of going out and about to visit some dreary old buildings. My lovely, patient...

[** If you like this post, please make a donation to the IR&DD project using the secure button at the right. If you think it is interesting or useful, please re-share via Facebook, Google+, Twitter etc. To help keep the site in operation, please use the amazon search portal at the right - each purchase earns a small amount of advertising revenue **] European Heritage Open Days 2013 | An East Belfast Experience | Part I Part II  > If you’re interested in what may be broadly termed ‘heritage issues’, you are probably familiar with European Heritage Open Days , where buildings of historic worth, which are not generally publicly accessible, are open for one weekend in September. This year the EOHD event in Northern Ireland were boasting of ‘410 properties and events … opening for free on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September’. Regular readers of this blog may just recall my attempts to get out and see some of these on my doorstep in 2012. In terms of...

[** If you think the post is useful, please re-share via Facebook, Google+, Twitter etc. **] European Heritage Open Days rolled round once again in early September. This year I said that I was going to be ready. This year we would get involved. This year we would get out and see some stuff! I downloaded the brochure and made my list – this year we were going to concentrate on what is on our own doorstep: East Belfast. Despite my best intentions, fate (and work) intervened to ensure that I only got to see one heritage building … but what a building it is ! With the creation of the Northern Ireland home rule region in the Government of Ireland Act 1920 there was a need to provide the province with a dedicated building for parliamentary debate. The building that we see today was designed by Sir Arnold Thornely, though it had originally been envisaged as but one component of a much grander complex. The original plan was to create a large, domed building with two side buildin...