Belfast

Why it matters: opened in 1774 by the Belfast Charitable Society – founded in 1752 and still going – this Georgian building was the city’s original Poor House, then a hospital and nursing home, and it has never stopped working: it still provides residential and sheltered housing for older people, and the Society still runs its philanthropic programmes from here. Guided tours and talks bring the Poor House and the people who sought sanctuary in it to life, with augmented reality filling in the rest; the Society also runs tours of Clifton Street Cemetery nearby. Book ahead through the Clifton House website – tours run on a scheduled timetable rather than drop-in, and the self-guided option is the cheapest way in. Practical tip: it is a short walk north of the city centre, so fold it in with a Cathedral Quarter wander.