[2] Stormont Castle was completed c.1830 and was reworked in 1858 by its original owners, the Cleland family, to the designs of Thomas Turner in the Scottish baronial style with features such as bartizans used for decorative purposes.

[2] The building and 235 acres (95 ha) of adjoining land was bought by the newly established Government of Northern Ireland for £15,000 in 1921.

However, a number of Prime Ministers chose to live at Stormont House, the official residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, which was empty as a number of Speakers had chosen to live in their own homes.

[4] With the imposition of direct rule in 1972, it served as the Belfast headquarters of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Office (NIO) ministers and supporting officials.

[5] The Good Friday Agreement was concluded in nearby Castle Buildings in April 1998.