The Royal chairs have been on display in the Council Chamber at City Hall for decades and are a popular talking point with visitors on guided tours of the building.
View on RequestTwo Ornate Gilded Chairs used by King George V and Queen Mary
The Royal chairs have been on display in the Council Chamber at City Hall for decades and are a popular talking point with visitors on guided tours of the building.
The Chairs role in the events of the 22nd June 1921 and the Opening of the first Northern Ireland Parliament which initially sat in Belfast City Hall, are relatively well known.
They can be seen pictured in Photographs of the Day’s events and indeed in famous Paintings of the event.
The story behind the Chairs own origins have been, until this year, some 100 years after their use in that Event, somewhat nebulous.
The Chairs have recently undergone extensive conservation works which revealed some interesting details about their heritage, before their moment of glory, In Belfast ,100 years ago. The Chairs had an interesting story already but their restoration proved that they had yet more stories to tell.
When restoration work was undertaken on the Chairs conservators found the chairs were in fact carved from mahogany (unusual for gilt furniture) original deep blue silk fabric, of extraordinary quality, and a small label written in Portuguese.
These discoveries and subsequent research revealed led to the incredible discovery that the chairs originally were made in the mid-1800s for the Sala Azul (Blue room) in the Necessidades Palace in Lisbon, Portugal – today the home of the Portuguese Office of Foreign Affairs.
Following revolution in 1910 and the founding of the Portuguese Republic it is believed the chairs were sent in a consignment of art and furniture to the exiled former King Manuel II in England. In 1921 Sir Crawford McCullagh had the opportunity to purchase the furniture, probably unaware of their origins.
Sir Crawford McCullagh who had served as Mayor of Belfast three times up to the date of the Parliament Opening in City Hall on June 22nd 1921 was later returned as Mayor again in both 1931 and 1942.
When the formal Opening of Parliament at City Hall was being planned in 1921 these two ornate Chairs were lent to City Hall for use in that Event.
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth subsequently used these chairs during their Coronation tour which brought them to Belfast in 1937.
The Council purchased the Chairs following the death of Sir Crawford in the early 1950s and thus secured their continued role in representing, for future generations of visitors, to City Hall, a tangible reminder of an important event in the History of the City.
Alderman McCoubrey has said
“The chairs are important artefacts relating to a significant milestone in our history, and it’s fantastic to see them restored to their former glory and protected for generations to come. I think it’s fitting that they will be kept in City Hall so that visitors can continue to learn about their place in history.”
This is owned by Belfast City Council. Image reproduced with the permission of Belfast City Council
