August 28, 2012

Belfast

Albert Memorial Clock

The Albert Memorial Clock is a clock tower situated at Queen's Square in Belfast. It was completed in 1869 and is one of the best known landmarks of Belfast. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/10, 1/400 second, ISO 200.

Albert Memorial Clock

As a result of being built on wooden piles on marshy, reclaimed land around the River Farset, the top of the tower leans four feet off the perpendicular. Due to this movement, some ornamental work on the belfry was removed in 1924 along with a stone canopy over the statue of the Prince. To halt the worsening lean and repair damage caused by the elements and heavy passing traffic, a multi-million pound restoration project was completed in 2002. During the project the wooden foundations were strengthened, the majority of the decaying carvings were replaced and the entire tower was cleaned. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/10, 1/500 second, ISO 200.

Thing with the Ring

The Thanksgiving Statue is a £300,000 public art metal sculpture by Andy Scott 19.5 meters high constructed in 2007 in Thanksgiving Square in Belfast. As with other public works of art in Ireland the sculpture has been given several nicknames. These include the Beacon of Hope, the Nuala with the Hula, the Bell on the Ball and the Thing with the Ring. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/11, 1/500 second, ISO 200.

St. Thomas' Church

St. Thomas' Church is located at the end of Eglantine Avenue at the junction with the Lisburn Road. The Parish extends from Elmwood Avenue to Adelaide Park, and from the Malone Road to the Lisburn Road. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/9, 1/320 second, ISO 200.

St. Thomas' Church

On a grand scale and designed to impress, St Thomas's is one of the grandest and most fully finished examples of High Victorian Gothic ecclesiastical architecture, not only in Belfast, but in Ulster. Inside the Church, cool monumentality gives way to warmth and richness. Built of white Scrabo sandstone with finely dressed masonry round doors and windows, it is adorned with red sandstone banding and colored marble discs and colonnettes to the tower and spire. The exterior is a confident exercise in eclectic design: generally the style is Early French Gothic, but the polychrome effects point to an Italian Gothic influence. There may also be an Early Christian Irish reference in the round stone-capped stair turret. The date 1870 is inscribed over the North doorway. Probably because of constraints imposed by the sloping site, the orientation of St Thomas' is unusual, the chancel facing North. In 1888 the church was enlarged at the South end, to a John Lanyon design, when the South West porch was added, as well as the internal gallery with its Gothic timber stairway. Along with the increase in the length of nave and aisles, this extended the seating capacity to over 1,000. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/9, 1/320 second, ISO 200.

Divided Still

The wall/fence is still a constant reminder of the deep seated differences that still remain. The gates are still often shut at night to prevent violence. The land use differences on the two sides is also a stark reminder of the economic realities of the cultural struggle.

Belfast has been the capital of Northern Ireland since its establishment in 1921 following the Government of Ireland Act 1920. It had been the scene of various episodes of sectarian conflict between its Catholic and Protestant populations. These opposing groups in this conflict are now often termed republican and loyalist respectively, although they are also referred to as 'nationalist' and 'unionist'. The most recent example of this conflict was known as the Troubles – a civil conflict that raged from around 1969 to 1998.

Belfast saw some of the worst of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, particularly in the 1970s, with rival paramilitary groups formed on both sides. Bombing, assassination and street violence formed a backdrop to life throughout the Troubles. The Provisional IRA detonated 22 bombs within the confines of Belfast city center in 1972, on what is known as "Bloody Friday", killing nine people. Loyalist paramilitaries including the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) claimed that the killings they carried out were in retaliation for the IRA campaign. Most of their victims were Catholics with no links to the Provisional IRA. A particularly notorious group, based on the Shankill Road in the mid-1970s, became known as the Shankill Butchers.

In all, over 1,600 people were killed in political violence in the city between 1969 and 2001. Due to the violence, even continuing today, Belfast is often referred to as the "European Capital of Terrorism". Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/11, 1/500 second, ISO 200.

Queen's University

Queen's University Belfast has its roots in the Belfast Academical Institution, which was founded in 1810, one of the United Kingdom's 10 oldest universities, and remains as the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. The present university was first chartered as "Queen's College, Belfast" in 1845, when it was associated with the simultaneously founded Queen's College, Cork, and Queen's College, Galway, as part of the Queen's University of Ireland – founded to encourage higher education for Catholics and Presbyterians, as a counterpart to Trinity College, Dublin, then an Anglican institution. Queen's College, Belfast, opened in 1849. Its main building, the Lanyon Building, was designed by the English architect, Sir Charles Lanyon. At its opening, it had 23 professors and 343 students. Some early students at Queen's University Belfast took University of London examinations. The University also forms the focal point of the Queen's Quarter area of the city, one of Belfast's seven cultural districts. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/9, 1/320 second, ISO 200.

Crescent Church

Crescent Church, independent evangelical with a Brethren background. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/10, 1/400 second, ISO 200.

Church House Bell Tower

Church House is dominated by a 40m high clock tower, which contains Belfast's only peal of 12 bells. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/6.3, 1/640 second, ISO 200.

The Crown Bar

The Crown Liquor Saloon is a public house located on Great Victoria Street. Refurbished to a high standard in 1885, it is an outstanding example of a Victorian gin palace, and is one of Northern Ireland's best-known pubs. Originally opened by Felix O'Hanlon and known as The Railway Tavern, the pub was then bought by Michael Flanagan. Flanagan's son Patrick renamed and renovated the pub in 1885. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/8, 1/250 second, ISO 200

Church House

Church House in Belfast, Northern Ireland is the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The building is located near the center of Belfast at the junction of Fisherwick Place, Great Victoria Street, Howard Street and Grosvenor Road. It was built in 1905, in the Gothic style, and opened by the Duke of Argyll. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/9, 1/320 second, ISO 200.

Belfast Metropolitan College

Belfast Metropolitan College is a further and higher education institution. The college offers both vocational education and academic qualifications. With over 50,000 enrolments and an annual budget in the region of £45 million, it is Northern Ireland's largest college. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/9, 1/320 second, ISO 200.

Spire of Hope

The Spire of Hope is an outdoor sculpture. The 40-meter spire is built into the roof of St Anne's Cathedral in the city's Cathedral Quarter. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/11, 1/500 second, ISO 200.

Chimneys

These multiple-flue chimneys were commonplace in Belfast. I photographed several, but these were the best, showing both the multiple-flues, but also the growth that is everywhere present. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/8, 1/250 second, ISO 200.

Belfast City Hall

Looking up Linen Street at the back of the City Hall. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/8, 1/250 second, ISO 200.

Belfast Castle

Belfast Castle is set on the slopes of Cavehill Country Park in a prominent position 400 feet (120 m) above sea level. Its location provides unobstructed views of the city of Belfast and Belfast Lough.

The original Belfast Castle, built in the late 12th century by the Normans, was located in the town itself, flanked by the modern day High Street, Castle Place and Donegall Place in what is now Belfast city center. This was the home of Sir Arthur Chichester, baron of Belfast, but was burned down in 1708, leaving only street names to mark the site. Rather than rebuild on the original site, the Chichesters decided to build a new residence in the city's suburbs, today's Belfast Castle emerging as a result. The building that stands today was built from 1811–70 by the 3rd Marquess of Donegall. It was designed in the Scottish baronial style by Charles Lanyon and his son, of the architectural firm Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon. After Donegall's death and the family's financial demise, the 8th Earl of Shaftesbury completed the house.

It was his son, the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, who presented the castle to the City of Belfast in 1934. In 1978, Belfast City Council began a major refurbishment over a period of ten years at a cost of over two million pounds. The architect was the Hewitt and Haslam Partnership. The building officially re-opened to the public on 11 November 1988. Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/10, 1/400 second, ISO 200.

Stormont

The Parliament Buildings

The Parliament Buildings, commonly known as Stormont because of their location in the Stormont area of Belfast, are the seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Northern Ireland Executive. They previously housed the defunct Parliament of Northern Ireland. Stormont, Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland, (Béal Feirste, Contae Aontroma, Ulaidh, Tuaisceart Éireann), August 28, 2012. f/10, 1/400 second, ISO 200.