A commission to create series of highly detailed 2m historical collages for the entrance for the newly opened visitors centre at Royal Hillsborough Castle in Belfast. I spent many months researching the history of the Castle and made visits to go through their rich archive of photographs, ephemera and beautifully kept scrap albums dating back to the 1900’s. I spent time gleaning interesting moments and oddities from everything from party invites in the 1930’s to hand written recipes from the kitchens.
In over a century Hillsborough has played host to many historic Anglo Irish meetings and agreements and was official residence for all visiting Royals. Each artwork covered a different aspect of the historic setting. The history of people who graced it’s corridors from William of Orange to The Dalai Lama, The amazing paintings, fixtures, furniture and rooms and the history of the beautiful gardens complete with Pineapple farm and ice house.
I coincidently started off many years ago after art school with a Prince Charles’s Youth Trust small business loan (for a silkscreen set up) - so it was very interesting to have all the illustrations for the castle ‘signed off’ by HRH Prince Charles himself all these years later. A full royal circle you might say.
