1849 – Lanyon Building, Queen’s University Belfast

The Queen’s University of Ireland was established by royal charter on 3 September 1850, as the degree-awarding university of the Queen’s Colleges of Belfast, Cork, and Galway. They were established in 1845 “to afford a university education to members of all religious denominations” in Ireland. nAt the prompting of Protestant interests, the Queen’s Colleges were not permitted to give instruction in theology. Thus, the Queen’s Colleges became derided as the “godless colleges” — Pope Pius IX even ventured as far as declaring them to be “detrimental to religion” in an official condemnation. The Queen’s University was superseded by a new institution, the Royal University of Ireland in 1880. The Belfast college was separated from the other two in 1908, and became The Queen’s University of Belfast.

Sir Charles Lanyon designed the main building of Queen’s University of Belfast in 1849 which now bears his name. The building is famous for its long Gothic Revival facade and Great Hall, all finishedin brick with stone trimmings. The Great Hall underwent an extensive £2.5m renovation in 2002, restoring it to Lanyon’s original plans.