Clifton House opened in 1774, serving a duel purpose with a poorhouse that could accommodate 36 inmates and a 24 bed infirmary. From its inception, the facility operated at capacity, but in 1800, the facility became the first on the island of Ireland to test newly developed vaccines on patients. The funds created allowed the construction of an additional wing.

Today, Clifton House, provides residential and sheltered housing and is the base of Belfast Charitable Society.

A former employee once shared this account from when she worked there as a nurse in the 1980s.

“On the first floor was a corridor leading to what was called ward 14. There were a couple of steps you had to go down to get to this ward, and at night the dimmer lights were on. Many times we would hear footsteps going up and down the steps, and we would always check because of the patients – but there was nobody about. Sometimes you would see figures, especially when a death was pending. Down in the basement it was scary as hell. Nobody liked going down there at night – always a sense of a presence down there.”