Eliza and Isabella Riddel

On the death of Samuel Riddel, the last of Eliza and Isabella's bachelor brothers, the sisters inherited over £400,000, which was a large fortune at that time.

[1] Ruth Duffin, the first warden of Riddel Hall, noted in her writings that the sisters were devoted Unitarians, strongly charitable, and that their habits were simple and Victorian.

[1] The Misses Riddel donated £35,000 for the building and endowment of a halls of residence, with the understanding it was to be used for the female students of Queen's University.

When funds were raised, it was normally by a piecemeal combination of ladies' halls committees, local subscriptions and grants from bodies such as the Carnegie or Pfeiffer Trusts.

Following the redevelopment, Queen's Management School (incorporating the William J Clinton Leadership Institute) was relocated to the site and officially opened by Mary McAleese[3] in 2012.

Riddel Hall, endowed in 1913 (opened 1915) by Eliza and Isabella Riddel as a residence for female students at Queen's University Belfast . [ 1 ]
Vents at Riddel Hall celebrating the endowment of the building
Extension of the site (2011) and relocation of Queen's Management School