Antrim Castle: The mystery of the Halloween fire

Stone sculptures removed from the castle's façade will be on display for the first time

As Halloween approached in 1922, the Massereene family hosted a game of bridge at their home in Antrim Castle.

But as the family, their guests and servants retired for the night, disaster struck.

By the following day the castle had burned to ruins, by a mysterious fire.

Most managed to escape, some using bedsheets to lower themselves from windows while others scrambled to the roof of the castle's chapel to await rescue.

But the fire trapped 22-year-old kitchen maid Ethel Gilligan in her quarters and she could not be saved.

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One hundred years on, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council is marking the centenary of the blaze, which damaged the building beyond repair and ultimately led to its demolition in 1970.

A series of events and activities in the area during the centenary period will allow people to explore the history of the castle and the mystery surrounding the night of the fire.

Tanks containing more than 8,000 litres of water on the castle roof were empty, despite being filled on the morning of the fire.

Separate fires were discovered throughout the building on the night of 28 October.

Many people suspected foul play, although an official inquiry was inconclusive.

The centenary "marks an important event in Antrim's history"

Stone sculptures removed from Antrim Castle's façade in its final days will be on display for the first time as part of the programme of events, having remained locked away from public view for more than 50 years.

Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Stephen Ross, said the centenary marked an important event in Antrim's history.

"There is no doubt the events of that tragic evening have shaped the place we live in today," he said.

Local historian and author Lyndsy Spence is running a free walking tour of the castle grounds alongside the estate's park rangers.

She has lived in the area all her life and said she has always been interested in the ruined castle and its graveyard.

She said the tour is an opportunity for people to see a different side of the castle, learn more about the characters who lived there and explore the conspiracies surrounding the fire which destroyed it.

'Really atmospheric'

The tour includes a visit to underground tunnels which run beneath where the castle once stood.

They lead to a Victorian pleasure garden, which was filled with ornamental plants in the castle's heyday.

"It will be really atmospheric when it's going dark, especially in the tunnels which aren't usually open to the public," she said.

Viscountess Jean Massereene believed the fire was set deliberately

As part of the tour, Lyndsy will give a talk on Viscountess Jean Massereene, who lived at the castle for nearly 20 years until it burned down.

"She has a lot of fans around here," Lyndsy said.

"She was 6ft (1.83m) tall with jet black hair, heavily made up and wore some very revealing clothes."

Viscountess Massereene was an advocate for higher education for girls and patron of the Women's National Health Association, a body set up in 1907 to reduce tuberculosis and infant mortality in Ireland.

A good friend of Edward Carson, the viscountess believed her home was deliberately set alight.

Could it have been an inside job?

"We'll be encouraging people to keep an open mind," Lyndsy said.