Building ‘designed to reflect importance of castle’

The structure, which was installed last week, aims to facilitate visitors in the event of temporary closures at the attraction.

Last year, the Department of the Environment announced a £1.4m investment to the historic fabric of the complex, including re-roofing the Great Tower and the opening of the dungeons to the public.

A spokesperson from DoE said: “Carrickfergus Castle, one of the most iconic historic monuments, is a key heritage asset for both Carrickfergus and Northern Ireland. For over 800 years it has been a dominant feature of our landscape, and today it attracts thousands of local and overseas visitors a year.

“The site is one of the most intact medieval castle complexes in Britain or Ireland. The castle is cared for by the Department of the Environment, and at present there are a number of conservation projects ongoing to help maintain this internationally-important monument.

“Some of the conservation works may, in the future, require temporary closure of parts of the castle complex. As a result, a temporary building is being erected to help ensure that visitors to the castle, especially school and other larger groups, can be facilitated during periods of limited access to key buildings there.

“This temporary building has been specifically designed to respect the importance of this historic monument. It will be set on a foundation platform to ensure that there is no impact on the buried archaeological remains that were uncovered during the 2014 excavations within the castle complex.

“The space will house new interpretation about the archaeology, history and construction of the castle, and the work of the Department in conserving the site.”

Construction of the temporary building is due to be complete by the end of March.