Lewis's grandfather's Belfast home could become a centre devoted to the author
The parish where C.S. Lewis was baptised is seeking £1 million to rescue its old rectory and open an exhibition, a library and a café there by 2028.
In east Belfast, St Mark's Dundela church wants to bring its old rectory back to life. The house has stood empty for eight years and is suffering from dry rot. The nine-bedroom Victorian building was put up in the late 1880s by the Rev Thomas Hamilton, the parish's first rector and C.S. Lewis's maternal grandfather. Lewis's mother, Flora, lived there for about fifteen years, and the young Lewis was a frequent visitor.
The plan, called The Lewis Legacy, includes a permanent exhibition on Lewis's life and work on the ground floor, a library named after Flora Hamilton, one of the first women to graduate from Queen's, a café opening onto the garden, seminar rooms, and a flat where writers and scholars can stay.
The whole project is costed at £2.5 million. The parish is appealing for donations to raise the first £1 million, which would let building work start next year. It is aiming to open in November 2028, for the 130th anniversary of Lewis's birth. Planning permission is still being prepared.
See also
- In Lewis's footsteps in Northern Ireland
- C.S. Lewis, from Belfast to Oxford (1898-1931)
- From Belfast to the Wardrobe: Jack's life in ten riddles
Sources
- The Irish News, Mark Robinson, "Belfast church to transform C.S. Lewis’ grandfather’s home into exhibition, library and café", 1 November 2026.
- Belfast News, "Belfast church seeks £1m to restore CS Lewis family home as visitor hub", 1 November 2026.
- Diocese of Down and Dromore (Church of Ireland), "The Lewis Legacy: a doorway to discovery", August 2026.