King William III Pier, The Harbour, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, BT38

King William III Pier, Carrickfergus

This stone pier stands in the harbour at Carrickfergus, strategically positioned in the shadow of Carrickfergus Castle. It is of national and international significance as the traditional landing place of King William III, who arrived in Ireland on 14 June 1690 and subsequently engaged with James II at the Battle of the Boyne.

The pier pre-dates the late 1600s and projects westwards into the harbour a short distance south-east of the castle. It is constructed of random rubble basalt with a curved plan form and an advanced rounded end. The exposed seaward (south) side features a slightly battered wall standing approximately 2.5 metres high. A narrow walkway runs along the inside face of this wall, accessed by stone steps at each end.

The sea wall shows several phases of construction. The foundation course comprises random rubble fieldstones, which probably represents the original structure. Above this lie several courses of squared stone blocks, topped with quarried random rubble. This visible stonework is probably relatively recent and may be a rebuild of an earlier wall; it does not appear on the earliest depictions of the harbour. The pier surface is laid with random rubble and a flagged concrete walkway. Stone steps provide access into the water along the inside (north) face of the pier, and a vertical galvanised metal ladder is positioned at its seaward end. Cast-iron mooring bollards and electric lamp posts line the pier. Bollards across the east end prevent unauthorised vehicular access.

A bronze plaque mounted on the inside face of the sea wall towards the west end commemorates the landing of Her Majesty Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh on 8 August 1961. A more recent circular blue plaque at the west end records the landing of King William III on 14 June 1690.

The pier is documented on a 1680 map of Carrickfergus, and subsequently appears on the 1832 Ordnance Survey map and all subsequent editions. Comparison of these depictions shows the pier maintained the same footprint throughout this period, indicating it was never significantly reconfigured. A contemporary account written in 1691 records: "on the 14th, being Saturday, he landed at Carrickfergus about 4 a'clock in the afternoon. His Majesty went through part of the town and viewed it". As no other pier existed in the neighbourhood at that time, this must have been the present one. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip also landed here on 8 August 1961. The Albert Edward Pier runs south from the east end of this pier; it was begun in 1881 and opened by the Prince of Wales in 1885.