Crimean Gun, Castle Gardens, Lisburn, Co. Antrim

This is an iron cannon on a stone platform situated within Castle Gardens in Lisburn. The cannon, of early nineteenth-century appearance, was taken from Crimea around 1855. It was presented to the town of Lisburn in 1858 by Admiral Meynell, a former Member of Parliament for Lisburn, as part of a trend of gifting captured Russian weaponry to towns throughout the British Empire.

The cannon is a single-barrel cast-iron gun mounted on a wrought-iron two-wheeled trail. It sits on a granite ashlar plinth, which in turn is a stepped podium with six octagonal granite piers supporting an iron chain. A white marble plaque facing south reads: "THIS GUN, TAKEN AT SEBASTOPOL, WAS PRESENTED TO THE, TOWN OF LISBURN, BY ADMIRAL MEYNELL R.N., 1858.” The cannon has been moved twice since its initial placement.

Originally, the “Russian Trophy” was located in Market Square, roughly where Nicholson’s memorial now stands. Ordnance Survey town plans from 1859-61 show the gun in Market Square, but revisions from 1875-76 indicate a relocation to Castle Gardens, where it originally stood at the end of the main path. Following a recent restoration of the gardens, it was moved further west. Admiral Meynell served as MP for Lisburn from 1826 to 1847. Following the siege of Sebastopol from 1854-5, the British sent cannons seized in the conflict to towns and cities throughout the Empire. While it remains a memorial to the Crimean conflict and an interesting artifact within Castle Gardens, the cannon is not considered appropriate for statutory protection and was delisted on March 23, 2016.