Northern Ireland’s royal residence, Hillsborough Castle, is celebrating Irish art with a major expansion of the collection on display in the State Drawing Room.
The official residence of His Majesty the King when he visits Northern Ireland, Hillsborough Castle in County Down is an elegant Georgian mansion set within spectacular gardens.
The grand house is open to the public for guided tours, which take visitors through its magnificent Throne Room, State Drawing Room, Lady Grey’s Study, State Dining Room, Red Room and Stair Hall and recount over 250 years of history including pivotal moments of celebration, diplomacy and negotiation.
The State Drawing Room at Hillsborough Castle is known for its impressive collection of Irish art and has recently added 33 new works, made possible by collaborations with a variety of lenders, including Crawford Art Gallery in Cork.
Among the new pieces on display in the State Drawing Room are works by Paul Henry, Colin Middleton and John Luke hanging alongside works from William Conor, Nano Reid and Norah McGuinness. The gallery also displays Off the Donegal Coast by Jack B. Yeats and The Dressmaker by Margaret Clarke.
Art at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, Royal Hillsborough, Co. Down
The eighteenth-century house was built by the Hill family who gave their name to the local area, Hillsborough, and it was their family home until it was sold in 1925. Other art highlights on view include a magnificent portrait of Lord Marcus Hill, son of the 2nd Marquess of Downshire, painted by sought-after royal portraitist Thomas Lawrence as well as a portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Colin Davidson and a portrait of His Majesty the King by Gareth Reid.
Hillsborough Castle has also acquired the Ombersley Miniatures – 51 miniature portraits of the Hill family and the related Sandys family – eight of which are on display in the State Ante Room. They will show the faces of some of the Hill family for the first time.
The re-hang also includes local artist Emma Spence’s new painting Late Summer on Yew Tree Walk (2024), which depicts a scene from Hillsborough’s gardens, with the Castle peeking out in the distance. After viewing the painting, visitors can step out onto the South Terrace and immediately get a view of Yew Tree Walk.
Surrounding the castle are 100 acres of exquisite gardens, including ornamental lawns, a restored Walled Garden, the Lost Garden, meandering waterways and picturesque glens which are a delight to explore.
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