City Hall

Belfast has a grand City Hall. The city hall features as the centre of Belfast.

Plans for the City Hall began in 1888 when Belfast was awarded city status by Queen Victoria[1].

Construction began in 1898 under the supervision of architect Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas and was completed in 1906 at a cost of £369,000. Local firms H&J Martin and WH Stephens were among the companies involved in construction[2].

City Hall was built in 1906. Belfast was made the capital of Northern Ireland in 1920[3].

On August 1, 2006 the city hall celebrated its centenary with a "Century Of Memories" exhibition and family picnic day[4].

The gardens surrounding the City Hall are a popular with office workers taking their lunch in the summer months, as well as tourists and teenagers gathering in their dozens to enjoy the green[5].

The most notable feature of the grounds is Brock's marble figure Thane, in memorial to the victims of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. The ship was built in Harland and Wolff's shipyard located in the east of the city. The monument was originally located at the front gate of City Hall, at the junction of Donegall Square North and Donegall Place[6].

Virtual tour of the inside of the City Hall can be viewed here: http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/cityhall/secondfloor.asp?tour=receptionhall

References

  1. Wikipedia, History, Belfast City Hall. Available [online] from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_City_Hall [Accessed 4 April 2007].
  2. Wikipedia, History, Belfast City Hall. Available [online] from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_City_Hall [Accessed 4 April 2007].
  3. Tim Lambert, A BRIEF HISTORY OF BELFAST, BELFAST IN THE 20th CENTURY. Available [online] from: http://www.localhistories.org/belfast.html [Accessed 4 April 2007].
  4. Wikipedia, History, Belfast City Hall. Available [online] from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_City_Hall [Accessed 4 April 2007].
  5. Wikipedia, Grounds, Belfast City Hall. Available [online] from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_City_Hall [Accessed 4 April 2007].
  6. Wikipedia, Grounds, Belfast City Hall. Available [online] from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_City_Hall [Accessed 4 April 2007].

© 2007 | Belfast History developed by David Bennett