January 23 1925
A breeze arose at a meeting of the Select Committee on Estimates when it came to discuss why the Office of Works had provided for £46,000 for a residence for the Governor of Northern Ireland, says the “Daily Chronicle”.
According to the report one member described this as an “enormous amount”.
“You can buy a good house in Northern Ireland for £46,000, can’t you?” asked Sir Frederick Wise, witness of the Office of Works.
“I’m not sure of that”, was the answer.
It was explained that the Imperial Government was giving a residence to the Government of Northern Ireland, who would keep it up.
“We tried to get them to have a large-sized villa”, said the witness, “but they would not hear of it. They said they would not be put into a worse position than the Sinn Fein Government as regards the Viceregal Lodge”.
“In their opinion”, he went on, “the South have been very disloyal, and it seems very difficult for any Government to resist the demands to provide a decent house for the Governor of Northern Ireland”.
Sir John Marriot asked why Northern Ireland was to be favoured in this way seeing that the Office of Works did not provide houses for Governors in all the Dominions.
“We have to provide everything in Northern Ireland, I am sorry to say”, replied witness. “It is one of the things which have been imposed on us”.
The place it is proposed to buy is Hillsborough Castle, which belongs to Lord Downshire, and has a park of 340 acres. Among other things provision has to be made for 32 resident police.
With the Northern government insisting that the Governor General of Northern Ireland must have a residence as grand if not grander than the residence of the Governor General of the Irish Free State (the Viceregal Lodge, now Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of the President of Ireland), the British government assented and bought Hillsborough Castle in County Down, making it available to the Northern Governor General, the Duke of Abercorn, with he and his family, moving into the residence later in 1925. Now, as well as being the home of the Northern Secretary of State, it serves as the official residence of members of the British royal family when in Northern Ireland.
