Lanyon, Charles (1813–1889)

English-born civil engineer and architect, who created some of the most important Victorian buildings in Ireland, chiefly in the industrial city of Belfast. As county surveyor for Antrim, Lanyon's engineering projects included the Antrim coast road, numerous railways, and the Queen's (1843) and Ormeau bridges over the River Lagan, Belfast. His architectural designs include Belfast's Queen's College (1845–49), now Queen's University; the Institute for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind; the Custom House (1857); and the County Gaol and Courthouse. He was elected president of the Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland in 1862.

Lanyon was born in Eastbourne, Sussex. Initially appointed county surveyor for Kildare, he requested transfer to Antrim but resigned the county surveyorship in 1860 to concentrate on his architectural work.