Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB19/16/009

Address :
Crimean Gun Castle Gardens Castle Street Lisburn Co. Antrim

Townland:
Lisnagarvy

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Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:
08/10/1981 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:
23/03/2016 00:00:00

Current Use:
Memorial

Former Use
Memorial

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
Yes

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
165/06

IG Ref:
J2701 6431

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Owner Category

Local Govt

Exterior Description And Setting

Free-standing iron wheel-mounted cannon, erected 1858, facing south within Castle Gardens, set on granite ashlar plinth, moved to current position c.2008. Single-barrel cast-iron cannon mounted on wrought-iron two-wheeled trail, mounted on granite ashlar block stepped podium with six octagonal granite piers supporting an iron chain. White marble plaque to south reads: “THIS GUN, TAKEN AT SEBASTOPOL, WAS PRESENTED TO THE, TOWN OF LISBURN, BY ADMIRAL MEYNELL R.N., 1858”

Architects

Historical Information

The ‘Russian Trophy’ was initially sited in Market Square roughly in the position occupied today by Nicholson’s memorial (HB19/16/04). The ordnance survey town plan dating from 1859-61 shows the gun in Market Square but revisions of 1875-6 have it in Castle Gardens. It was formerly placed at the end of the main path leading from the entrance and Mackey has a photograph of it in this position. Following recent restoration of the gardens it has been moved further to the west. (Mackey, p.55) According to a plaque on the gun castle the gun was presented to the town of Lisburn by Admiral Meynell, former MP for the town from 1826 to 1847. It is said to have been ‘taken at Sebastopol’. After the siege of Sebastopol from 1854-5, the British sent cannons seized in the conflict to towns and cities throughout the Empire. (Punch, p.156) Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/8/17/1 – Lisburn Town Plan 1859-61 (rev.1875-6) 2. PRONI OS/8/17/2 – Lisburn Town Plan 1876 3. PRONI OS/8/17/3 – Lisburn Town Plan 1900-02 Secondary Sources 1. Mackey, Brian “Lisburn, the Town and its People, 1873-1973” Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 2000 2. Punch, Volume 43, 1862, p.156

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An iron cannon on stone platform situated in Castle Gardens. This iron cannon is of early nineteenth-century appearance and was taken from Crimea c.1855. Formerly an MP of Lisburn, Admiral Meynell participated in the fashion for presenting captured Russians weapons to towns throughout the British Empire, by presenting this example to Lisburn. The cannon has been moved twice since, and whilst it remains a memorial to the Crimean conflict and is an interesting artifact within Castle Gardens it is not considered an appropriate object to be protected through listing.

General Comments

Date of Survey

01 April 2010