page_title: William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie
section_title: Personal life
hierarchical_section_title: William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie / Personal life
caption_attribution_description: English: An example of the iron bosses in park gates across the Whitley Park estate, Surrey, showing the Pirrie emblem. This one near Creedhole Farm, The Roundles
context_page_description: William James Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, KP, PC, PC, was a leading British shipbuilder and businessman. He was chairman of Harland and Wolff, shipbuilders, between 1895 and 1924, and also served as Lord Mayor of Belfast between 1896 and 1898. He was ennobled as Baron Pirrie in 1906, appointed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick in 1908 and made Viscount Pirrie in 1921. In the months leading up to the 1912 Titanic disaster, Lord Pirrie was questioned about the number of life boats aboard the Olympic-class ships. He responded that the great ships were unsinkable and the rafts were to save others. This would haunt him forever.
context_section_description: Lord Pirrie married Margaret Montgomery Carlisle, daughter of John Carlisle, M.A., of Belfast, on 17 April 1879.  In 1909, Lord Pirrie bought Witley Park, formerly the residence of Whitaker Wright.
  The letter P with a crown above can be seen on metal gates and fence posts in the estate and previously-owned lands.
  Pirrie built the Temple of the Four Winds near the Devil's Punchbowl, Hindhead. The octagonal plinth still remains. Lord Pirrie's nephew, Thomas Andrews, died on the Titanic. Pirrie himself died on 7 June 1924, at the age of 77 of bronchial pneumonia, at sea off Cuba, whilst on a business trip to South America. His body was brought from New York on the White Star Line's RMS Olympic, and was buried in Belfast City Cemetery.  The barony and viscountcy died with him.  Lady Pirrie died on 19 June 1935.  A memorial to Pirrie was unveiled in the grounds of Belfast City Hall in 2006.
caption: Pirrie crown emblem
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