Mayoral Engagement Explores the Rich History of Lisburn

July 4, 2016

The Mayor and Mayoress of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Councillor Brian Bloomfield MBE and Mrs Rosalind Bloomfield, welcomed Suzanne Higgot from the Wallace Collection, London and representatives from Wallace High School, Lisburn, to the Mayor’s Parlour recently to discuss a biography to be written about Sir Richard Wallace.

The Mayor is a former Vice Principal of Wallace High School and was delighted to catch up with the Principal, Deborah O’Hare and Senior teacher, Heather Gracey. The Deputy Mayor, Alderman Stephen Martin and Paul Allison from the Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum were also in attendance.

Suzanne Higgot is a curator at the Wallace Collection, a national museum which displays the wonderful works of art collected in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the first four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, the son of the 4th Marquess.

It was bequeathed by Sir Richard's widow, Lady Wallace, in 1897.  A number of paintings, collections and artifacts which belonged to Sir Richard Wallace are housed in the museum.  The collection is displayed at Hertford House, one of the family's London properties in the nineteenth century.

The Mayor said: “Sir Richard Wallace is of course synonymous with Lisburn and the Council’s Irish Linen Centre was pleased to assist on this research project as the staff there have such fantastic local knowledge.  It was also good to bring modern-day associations with Sir Richard Wallace together with Wallace High School.  I would like to thank Deborah and Heather for coming along to what was a very interesting discussion.”

Sir Richard became MP for Lisburn in 1873 and served until 1884. He paid for the building of Assembly Rooms, in the then market town, the old court house (now demolished) and a school, which today is Wallace High School.   Suzanne was also taken on a tour of Lisburn’s Wallace Park, the Wallace Memorial and Castle House. 

“Rosalind and I really enjoyed the engagement and I was delighted to present Suzanne with a small token of our appreciation.   We hope she will remember her visit to Lisburn with fondness and we look forward to hearing about progress on the biography on Sir Richard Wallace,” concluded the Mayor.