Sir Charles Lanyon was born in Eastbourne, but in the 1830's moved to Dublin as a civil engineer to the Irish Board Of Works. After a period as County Surveyor in Kildare, he took up the same post in Antrim, where he was engineered the coast road between Larne and Portrush and the Belfast-Ballymena railway line. He was also responsible for the Belfast-Bangor line in Co. Down, and the Queen's and Ormeau bridges in Belfast.

Sir Charles Lanyon was a Churchwarden of Carnmoney Parish in 1875. The design of our Church is attributed to his partner but many believe it was designed by Sir Charles.

In the 1860's Lanyon resigned his surveyorship and moved into politics, becoming Mayor of Belfast in 1862 and one of the M.P.s for the borough in1866. He was knighted in 1868. He died in his house, the Abbey, Whiteabbey, in 1889 and was buried in Newtownbreda churchyard.

See list of 67 works completed by Sir Charles Lanyon by clicking  HERE

Photographs of oak carved seat at rear of Baptistry.

Inscription reads: "To the Glory of God and in memory of Sir Charles Lanyon, KCMG, JP, DL, The Abbey, Whiteabbey. Born 1813, died 1889 and of his family who for many years worshiped in this Church." 

William Owen Lanyon was born in Co. Antrim on 21st July 1842. He was the son of the civil engineer and architect Sir Charles Lanyon.

Lanyon became a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1878 and a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1880.  He died of cancer at New York, after a long and painful illness, on 6 April 1887, aged forty-four.

Photograph The Vicar's Prayer Desk Inscriptions;
"In loving memory of Colonel Sir William Owen Lanyon, CB, KCMG who died April 6th 1887"

"In loving memory of Florence wife of Colonel Sir William Owen Lanyon Born 1851 Died 1883"