Belfast and County Antrim 2018

From in front of our AirBnB in the Queen's Quarter, looking towards the Lisburn Road and the hills beyond west Belfast.

Our AirBnB was the ground floor flat in this house in Malone Avenue.

Info from the Belfast City Council website: History of Belfast City Hall In 1888 Queen Victoria granted Belfast the status of the city and it was agreed that a grand and magnificent building was required to reflect this new status. City Hall opened its doors on the first of August 1906, at a time of unprecedented prosperity and industrial might for the city. The new City Hall was designed by Alfred Brumwell Thomas in the Baroque Revival style and constructed in Portland stone. The incredible building cost £369,000 to complete, the equivalent around 128 million pounds today but remains an extraordinary beacon of success and civic pride for Belfast. City Hall has many connections with the famous ocean liner Titanic. Viscount William Pirrie who was Lord Mayor in 1896-1897 just before City Hall’s construction, was also managing director of Harland & Wolff Shipyard. He is the man credited as having the idea for both ambitious builds. He used many of his skilled workmen in the fit-out of City Hall which is why the interiors today are considered an incredible insight into the finish of Titanic’s lounges and suites, the ship’s carving panelling being very similar.

Queen Victoria statue outside Belfast City Hall, Donegall Square. Info from the Belfast City Council website: History of Belfast City Hall In 1888 Queen Victoria granted Belfast the status of the city and it was agreed that a grand and magnificent building was required to reflect this new status. City Hall opened its doors on the first of August 1906, at a time of unprecedented prosperity and industrial might for the city. The new City Hall was designed by Alfred Brumwell Thomas in the Baroque Revival style and constructed in Portland stone. The incredible building cost £369,000 to complete, the equivalent around 128 million pounds today but remains an extraordinary beacon of success and civic pride for Belfast. City Hall has many connections with the famous ocean liner Titanic. Viscount William Pirrie who was Lord Mayor in 1896-1897 just before City Hall’s construction, was also managing director of Harland & Wolff Shipyard. He is the man credited as having the idea for both ambitious builds. He used many of his skilled workmen in the fit-out of City Hall which is why the interiors today are considered an incredible insight into the finish of Titanic’s lounges and suites, the ship’s carving panelling being very similar.

Erected to the imperishable memory of those gallant Belfast men whose names are here inscribed and who lost their lives on the 15 April, 1912, by the foundering of the Belfast built HMS Titanic, through collision with an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. The memorial is on the grounds of Belfast City Hall, Donegall Square East.

On the grounds of Belfast City Hall, Donegall Square East.

Established in 1788, the Linen Hall Library is the oldest library in Belfast and the last subscribing library in Northern Ireland. Currently, in addition to providing a free public reference service and a general lending service for both adults and children, the Library also houses several special collections. It is the leading centre for "Irish and Local Studies" in Northern Ireland which includes its comprehensive stock of "Early Belfast and Ulster printed books", periodicals and newspapers dating back as far as 1738 and a wide variety of archive and manuscript material. It also contains an extensive collection of maps (some of great historical interest) and extensive materials in the Irish language. Its "Northern Ireland Political Collection" collected since 1968 contains 250,000 items and is the definitive archive of the recent troubles, containing material looking at all sides of the conflict. It also houses collections devoted to genealogy, the poet Robert Burns and Northern Irish performing art.

Originally built as an office block, this massive building on Donnegall Square West at the junction of Wellington Place now houses shops and restaurants also. A six-storey building with basement and attic-storey, designed by Young & Mackenzie Architects for The Scottish Provident Institution and built primarily in sandstone by Robert Corry in two phases between 1897 and 1902. The first phase, at the corner of Donegall Square West and Wellington Place commenced construction in 1897 and was completed by 1900. Construction of the second phase, fronting onto Donegall Square West, commenced 1900 and was completed by 1902. The building’s ornamental carvings, including female heads, representing Scotland, Ireland, England, India, Sudan and Canada were carried out by Purdy & Millard. Sculptures also depict the prevalent industries at the time of construction, including shipbuilding, rope making and weaving. Ward & Partners installed the stained glass within the first floor lobby area depicting the arms of Scotland. The building was grade A listed (HB26/50/012) in June 1979 and during 1982 – 1983 the external stonework was restored, a projecting canopy installed over the Donegall Square West entrance, and some of the building’s statues were removed. Extensive refurbishment of the building, including the interior, exterior and roof, was undertaken during 2009.

One of Leo Boyd's tech heads, this one the Virgin Mary (I think) with a television or computer monitor for a head. Some 'erbert has drawn in a face. Hoarding in Lower Garfield Street.

The derelict Garfield Bar at one end of the old arcade in Lower Garfield Street. The arcade looks a lot like the Smithfield General Market in London -- Victorian red brick with saplings growing out of the upper storeys.

Posters by TLO, depicting King William of Orange wearing a gas mask and a necklace of tyres, except for the top right, which is a bit different. This was on a hoarding in front of the old arcade in Lower Garfield Street.

A derelict building in North Street. The piece of streetart is by Friz and Danleo. It's a bird, defending her eggs from a fox, within the curls of the woman's hair. extramuralactivity.com/2013/09/26/fox-bird

North Street and nearby Lower Garfield Street are full of disused and derelict buildings, now covered in streetart and graffiti. This piece, called the Belfast Phoenix, is by Andy Council.

I can't find any info about this pasteup. We saw a smaller version of this kiddie driving a police wagon somewhere else, also unattributed. Update: possibly by Leo Boyd.

A woman from The Handmaid's Tale with a computer monitor for a head. This is by Leo Boyd; we found her in a grotty doorway in North Street. extramuralactivity.com/2018/02/20/she-is-my-spy-as-i-am-hers

This needs some explaining. The mural depicts first minister Arlene Foster (DUP) as a green dragon pushing heating pellets as part of the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme. Under the scheme, businesses and organizations were reimbursed for the pellets they purchased as a way of incentivising the use of renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. The problem with the scheme was that the reimbursement rate was more than the cost of the pellets, which only encouraged people to crank up the heat. One person really did heat an empty barn to cash in. A scandal ensued. Foster refused to admit any wrongdoing and then deputy first minister - Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness - resigned over the DUP's handling of the scandal, triggering the collapse of the Stormont government. Northern Ireland has been without a functioning government ever since. (This came to a head in early 2017). More info here: www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-38307628 See the whole wall here: extramuralactivity.com/2016/12/26/heating-empty-barns-killing-kids

In North Street, a rather run down street in the Cathedral Quarter that's got some interesting streetart all around. This is by Killian Redmonk.

The Exchange and Assembly Rooms, originally built in 1769 and renovated several times after. North Street and Waring Street. Here's a little video about the history of the building: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX7uIDbslbc And here's some more info: www.victorianweb.org/art/architecture/lanyon/4.html