philipcanter's PhotoBlog

Stormont, Parliament Buildings

2007-10-06T12:09:25Z

Parliament Buildings, known as Stormont because of its location in the Stormont area of Belfast, served as the seat of the Parliament of Northern Ireland and successive Northern Ireland assemblies and conventions. It is now the home of the Northern Ireland Assembly created under the Belfast Agreement (aka. the Good Friday Agreement). The building was originally constructed to accommodate the newly formed Government of Northern Ireland, established under the Government of Ireland Act, 1921. The cost of constructing Parliament Buildings came close to £1.7 million. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, declared Parliament Buildings open on 16th November 1932 on behalf of King George V. The building is designed in Greek Classical tradition, constructed by Stewart Partners Ltd under the guidance of architect Arnold Thornley, from Liverpool. He was a man who paid great attention to detail with many of the features in Parliament Buildings having symbolic reference. One example of this detail can be illustrated by the length of the building for it measures exactly 365 feet wide, representative of one foot for each day of the year. Arnold Thornley later received a Knighthood from George V in recognition of his architectural work. There is a statue to Sir Edward Carson in dramatic pose on the drive leading up to the building errected in 1932, a rare example of a statue to a person being erected before their death. Sir Edward Henry Carson (1854-1935) led the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force in opposing Home Rule plans for the whole of Ireland, eventually succeeding in ensuring Northern Ireland remained part of the union. On 3 December 2005, the Great Hall of Stormont was used for the funeral service of former Northern Ireland and Manchester United footballer George Best. The building was selected for the funeral as it is in the only grounds in Belfast suitable to accommodate the large number of members of the public who wished to attend the funeral. Approximately 25,000 people gathered in the grounds, with thousands more lining the cortege route. It was the first time since World War II that the building has been used for a non-governmental or non-political purpose.

Millisle

2007-10-04T23:05:05Z

Taken during a late evening walk at the local pier. Millisle is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland, lying on the Ards Peninsula, about 3 miles south of Donaghadee. Described as an "unpretentious bucket-and-spade resort of fish-and-chip shops and acres of caravan sites".

Marmaris, Turkey

2007-09-16T22:49:53Z

Taken at Marmaris bay at 8:00am whilst going for an early breakfast.

Dunluce Castle

2007-09-16T22:00:51Z

Dunluce Castle is one of the most extensive ruins of a medieval castle in Northern Ireland. It is located on the edge of a basalt outcropping in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and is accessible via a bridge connecting it to the mainland. It is between Portballintrae and Portrush. The castle is dramatically surrounded by terrifyingly steep drops either side, which would have been a very important factor to the early Christians and Vikings who were drawn to this place where an early Irish fort once stood. In 1973 the castle appeared on the inner cover of the multi-million selling Led Zeppelin album Houses of the Holy.

Giants Causeway

2007-09-16T22:08:17Z

The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns resulting from a volcanic eruption. It is located on the North East coast of Northern Ireland, about 3 kilometres (2 miles) north of the town of Bushmills. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986, and a National Nature Reserve in 1987 (by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland). In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the Giant's Causeway was named as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, however there are some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 12 metres (36 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 metres thick in places. The Causeway appears on the cover of the Led Zeppelin album Houses of the Holy, and it's surrounding waters formed the background for the cover of The Stone Roses (album).

Garden

2007-07-28T10:25:40Z

Sea World

2007-07-28T11:35:58Z

Animal Kingdom

2007-07-28T11:30:09Z

Epcot

2007-07-28T11:25:02Z

Happy Face

2007-07-28T11:22:52Z