List of public art in Belfast

Last updated

This is a list of public art on permanent public display in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The list applies only to works of public art accessible in a public space; it does not include artwork on display inside museums. Public art may include sculptures, statues, monuments, memorials, murals and mosaics. The murals of Belfast are discussed separately in Murals in Northern Ireland.

Contents

City centre

ImageTitle / subjectLocation and
coordinates
DateArtist / designerTypeMaterialDesignation Wikidata Notes
Twenty to eight in the clock tower of the Albert Memorial.jpg
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Albert Memorial Clock, Belfast Queen's Square1870 W. J. Barre Clock towerStone Q2638495 [1]
Belfast (144), October 2009.JPG
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Thanksgiving Square Beacon Thanksgiving Square (Belfast) 2007 Andy Scott Abstract sculptureMetal Q4876007 [2]
Donegall Place, Belfast, February 2011 (01).JPG
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The MastsDonegall Place20118 mastsCopperThe eight copper clad lighting masts are named after White Star Line ships built at Harland and Wolff:- Titanic, Olympic, Oceanic, Britannic, Laurentic, Celtic, Nomadic, Traffic. [3]
James Larkin sculpture, Belfast, July 2010 (02).JPG James Larkin Donegall Street Place2006Anto BrennansculptureBronze [4]
Bigfish Belfast closeup.jpg
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The Big Fish Donegall Quay1999 John Kindness Ceramic sculptureStone Q4091869 [5]
No Pasaran sculpture, Belfast, July 2010 (01).JPG
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"No Pasaran", Spanish Civil War memorialWriters Square, Donegall Street2007Anto BrennanBust on pedestalBronze and stone [6]
Monument to the unknown woman worker, Belfast - geograph.org.uk - 911136.jpg
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Monument to the Unknown Woman Worker Great Victoria Street1992 Louise Walsh Sculpture groupBronze Q6906904
Belfast (246), October 2009.JPG
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Spirit of Belfast Arthur Square2009Dan GeorgeAbstract sculptureSteel Q7577956 [7]
Sheep on the Road Belfast.jpg
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Sheep on the Road Waterfront Hall, Lanyon Place1990 Deborah Brown Sculpture groupBronze Q7492438 Originally at Riddell Hall. Relocated to Waterfront Hall in 1999
The "Barrel Man", Belfast (1) - geograph.org.uk - 962770.jpg The Barrel ManLanyon place1997Ross WilsonstatuebronzeAlso known as 'The Ulster Brewer' [8]
The Speaker, Customs House - geograph.org.uk - 1305010.jpg
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The SpeakerCustoms House SquareGareth KnowlesStatueBronze
Rev Henry Cooke, Belfast - geograph.org.uk - 1746369.jpg
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Henry Cooke Wellington Place1876Samuel Ferris LynnStatue on pedestalBronze and stone [9]
Belfast (033), October 2009.JPG
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RenewalQueen's SquareNed Jackson SmythAbstract sculptureMetal [10]
Thompson Memorial Fountain, Belfast, October 2010 (01).JPG
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Thompson memorial fountainBedford Street / Ormeau Avenue1885Young and McKenzie ArchitectsFountainStone [11]
University of Ulster, Belfast, May 2012 (02).JPG
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The BuoysYork Street / Donegall StreetPre 1979Unknown3 BuoysMetalGroup of obsolete navigation buoys presented by the Commissioner of Irish Lights to Belfast City Council to highlight Belfast's maritime heritage.

Belfast City Hall

ImageTitle / subjectLocation and
coordinates
DateArtist / designerTypeMaterialDesignation Wikidata Notes
Belfast, the cenotaph - geograph.org.uk - 611322.jpg
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The Cenotaph, Belfast Belfast City Hall 1929 Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas CenotaphStone Q30323973 [12]
Queen Victoria Belfast 2.jpg
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Queen Victoria Belfast City Hall1903 Sir Thomas Brock Statue on pedestal with supporting figuresStone and bronze Q17778520 [13]
Titanic Memorial Belfast.jpg
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Titanic Memorial Belfast City Hall1920Sir Thomas BrockStatue group on pedestalStone Q7809806 [14]
Edward James Harland Belfast.jpg
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Sir Edward James Harland Belfast City Hall1903Sir Thomas BrockStatue on pedestal Q17778453 [15]
Frederick Temple Belfast.jpg
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The 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava Belfast City Hall1906 Frederick W. Pomeroy Statue on pedestal with canopy Q17778397 [16]
James Horner Haslett Belfast.jpg
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Sir James Horner Haslett Belfast City Hall1909Frederick W. PomeroyStatue on pedestal Q17778550 [17]
Sir Daniel Dixon.jpg
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Sir Daniel Dixon Belfast City Hall1910 Sir Hamo Thornycroft Statue on pedestal Q72151439 [18]
William James Pirrie Belfast.jpg
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The 1st Viscount Pirrie Belfast City Hall1924Bertram PergramBust on pedestalBronzeOriginally erected in Belfast City Cemetery. Refurbished and re-erected on grounds of Belfast City Hall in 2006. [19]
Robert James McMordie Belfast.jpg
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Robert James McMordie Belfast City Hall1919Frederick W. PomeroyStatue on pedestal [20]
Royal Irish Rifles Belfast.jpg
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Boer War memorialBelfast City Hall1905 Sydney March Statue group on pedestal with plaquesStone and bronze [21]
Magennis VC.jpg James Joseph Magennis Belfast City Hall1999Elizabeth McLaughlin [22]
Korean War memorial, Belfast - geograph.org.uk - 836354.jpg Korean War memorialBelfast City Hall1951Originally erected in Korea on site of battlefield at Chaegunghyon. Re-erected in St. Patrick's Barracks in Ballymena in 1962. Re-erected and dedicated at Belfast City Hall in 2010 [23]
USAEF Belfast.jpg USAEF memorialBelfast City Hall1943 T. F. O. Rippingham Originally sited at gateway to City Hall. Moved to present location in 1995 and rededicated by President Bill Clinton [24]

South Belfast

South Belfast is defined as the area of the city south of the railway line from the A12 (Westlink) to the River Lagan. It includes Queen's University Belfast, the Ulster Museum and the Botanic Gardens.

ImageTitle / subjectLocation and
coordinates
DateArtist / designerTypeMaterialDesignation Wikidata Notes
Lord Kelvin, Botanic park Belfast.jpg
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The 1st Baron Kelvin Botanic Gardens (Belfast) 1913 Albert Bruce-Joy Statue on pedestalBronze and stone [25] [26]
Ulster Museum sculpture.JPG New metal piece Ulster Museum 1978Barry FlanaganAbstract sculptureMetal [27]
Modern sculpture, Belfast (1) - geograph.org.uk - 1593505.jpg Modern sculptureUlster MuseumAbstract sculptureMetal
Belfast Wheel.JPG Belfast WheelKing William ParkSculptureBronzeWheel is composed of 12 segments, each depicting an area of the city [28]
Ella Pirrie statue, Belfast City Hospital - geograph.org.uk - 939600.jpg Ella Pirrie Belfast City Hospital 2007 Ross Wilson StatueBronze [29]
'Mother - Daughter - Sister' - Women in Community - Sandy Row, South Belfast.jpg Mother - Daughter - Sister Sandy Row 2015 Ross Wilson StatueBronze [30]
Stranmillis sculpture, Belfast, May 2010 (02).JPG
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Sweet Water Arch Stranmillis, Belfast

54°34′30″N5°55′54″W / 54.574907°N 5.931665°W / 54.574907; -5.931665
2009 (2009) Denis O'Connor SculptureStainless steel4m highThe Irish name for the area, "An Srúthan Milís", means "sweet stream". [31] [32]

The Queen's University of Belfast

ImageTitle / subjectLocation and
coordinates
DateArtist / designerTypeMaterialDimensionsDesignation Wikidata Notes
Belfast (465), October 2009.JPG
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War memorial Queen's University Belfast 1924 Sir Thomas Brock Statue group on pedestal with plaquesBronze and stone Q66459168 [33]
Bust of Sir William Whitla, QUB, Belfast - geograph.org.uk - 272928.jpg Sir William Whitla Queen's University Belfast1942 Gilbert Bayes Bust in nicheBronze [34]
Reclining Figure, by Frederick Edward McWilliam.jpg Reclining FigureQueen's University Belfast1958 Frederick Edward McWilliam SculptureBronze [35]
Belfast (414), October 2009.JPG
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EcoMcClay Library, Queen's University Belfast2008Marc DidouSculpture [36]

East Belfast

East Belfast is defined as the city east of the River Lagan. It includes the Titanic Quarter and the Stormont Estate.

ImageTitle / subjectLocation and
coordinates
DateArtist / designerTypeMaterialDesignation Wikidata Notes
Opening Day, Titanic Belfast, 31 March 2012 (11).JPG TitanicaTitanic Centre2012 Rowan Gillespie Sculpture on pedestalBronze [37]
Titanic Quarter apartments and sculpture, Belfast, April 2010 (02).JPG
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Titanic Kit Titanic Quarter 2009 Tony Stallard SculptureBronze Q48743282 [38]
'The Yardmen' Titanic Community Centenary Project, East Belfast.jpg Titanic Yardmen 401Newtownards Road2012 Ross Wilson Sculpture [39]
Statue of C.S. Lewis, Belfast.jpg
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The Searcher, C. S. Lewis C. S. Lewis Square2016Ross WilsonStatue groupBronze [40]
The Longbridge stone, Belfast - geograph.org.uk - 1752353.jpg The Longbridge StoneAlbertbridge Road and Castlereagh Street1831N/AStoneSaid to be the last remnant of the Long Bridge which spanned the Lagan from Ballymacarret to Belfast
Carson monument - panoramio.jpg
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The Baron Carson Stormont Estate 1933 Leonard Stanford Merrifield Statue on pedestalBronze and stone [41]
The Gleaner by John Knox -152779 (47893785671).jpg
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The GleanerStormont EstateJohn KnoxSculpture on pedestalStone

West Belfast

West Belfast is defined as the area of the city west of the A12 (westlink) and south of the Crumlin Road. It includes the Falls Road and the Shankill Road. West Belfast is famous for its murals, both Loyalist and Republican. These are discussed separately in the article Murals in Northern Ireland.

ImageTitle / subjectLocation and
coordinates
DateArtist / designerTypeMaterialDesignation Wikidata Notes
James Connolly statue, Belfast.jpg James Connolly Falls Road2016Steve FeenyStatue on pedestalBronze and stone [42]
Rise Belfast.png
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RISE Broadway Roundabout, A122011Wolfgang ButtressAbstract sculpture Q7335884 [43]
Clonard Martyrs Memorial (41210907795).jpg Clonard Martyrs MemorialBombay Street2000Celtic wheel crossStone [44]
Republican memorial garden - panoramio.jpg Garden of RemembranceFalls Road2001 [45]
Bayardo Bar attack Belfast Irland@20160528.jpg Bayardo Bomb MemorialShankill Road2008 [46]
William Conor statue Belfast 2023-05-24 2.jpg William Conor Shankill Road2015statueBronze [47]
Milly.png The MillieCrumlin Road2010Ross WilsonBronzeStatue to Belfast's female linen mill workers [48]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast</span> Capital and largest city in Northern Ireland

Belfast is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel. It is second to Dublin as the largest city on the island of Ireland with a population in 2021 of 345,418 and a metro area population of 671,559.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie</span> British shipbuilder and businessman


William James Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, KP, PC, PC (Ire) 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. In Belfast he was, on other grounds, already a controversial figure: a Protestant employer associated as a leading Liberal with a policy of Home Rule for Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falls Road, Belfast</span> Main road through west Belfast in Northern Ireland

The Falls Road is the main road through West Belfast, Northern Ireland, running from Divis Street in Belfast City Centre to Andersonstown in the suburbs. The name has been synonymous for at least a century and a half with the Catholic community in the city. The road is usually referred to as the Falls Road, rather than as Falls Road. It is known in Irish as the Bóthar na bhFál and as the Faas Raa in Ulster-Scots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Brock</span> British artist (1847–1922)

Sir Thomas Brock was an English sculptor and medallist, notable for the creation of several large public sculptures and monuments in Britain and abroad in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His most famous work is the Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace, London. Other commissions included the redesign of the effigy of Queen Victoria on British coinage, the massive bronze equestrian statue of Edward, the Black Prince, in City Square, Leeds and the completion of the statue of Prince Albert on the Albert Memorial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast City Hall</span> Municipal building in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast City Hall is the civic building of Belfast City Council located in Donegall Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It faces North and effectively divides the commercial and business areas of the city centre. It is a Grade A listed building.

Murals in Northern Ireland have become symbols of Northern Ireland, depicting the region's past and present political and religious divisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titanic Quarter</span> Dockland regeneration zone in Belfast

Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a large-scale waterfront regeneration, comprising historic maritime landmarks, film studios, education facilities, apartments, a riverside entertainment district, and the world's largest Titanic-themed attraction centred on land in Belfast Harbour, known until 1995 as Queen's Island. The 185-acre (75 ha) site, previously occupied by part of the Harland and Wolff shipyard, is named after the company's, and the city's, most famous product, RMS Titanic. Titanic Quarter is part of the Dublin-based group, Harcourt Developments, which has held the development rights since 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast City Hospital</span> University teaching hospital providing local acute services and key regional specialities

The Belfast City Hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a 900-bed modern university teaching hospital providing local acute services and key regional specialities. Its distinctive orange tower block dominates the Belfast skyline being the third tallest storeyed building in Ireland. It has a focus on the development of regional cancer and renal services. It is managed by Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and is the largest general hospital in the United Kingdom. In April 2020, due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the tower block was designated one of the UK's Nightingale Hospitals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">F. W. Pomeroy</span> British sculptor

Frederick William Pomeroy was a prolific British sculptor of architectural and monumental works. He became a leading sculptor in the New Sculpture movement, a group distinguished by a stylistic turn towards naturalism and for their works of architectural sculpture. Pomeroy had several significant public works in London and elsewhere in the United Kingdom, notably in Belfast. His work in London includes the figure of Lady Justice (1905–1906) on the dome of the Old Bailey.

<i>RISE</i> (sculpture) Sculpture in Belfast, Northern Ireland

RISE is the official name given to the public art sculpture located at Broadway Roundabout in Belfast, Northern Ireland. However, it has been given unofficial, colloquial titles such as the "Balls of the Falls", "the Testes on the Westes" and "the Westicles". These names have been derived by both the sculpture's location on Broadway Junction and in reference to its shape made from two spherical, metal structures.

<i>Titanic</i> Memorial, Belfast Public sculpture by Thomas Brock

The Titanic Memorial in Belfast was erected to commemorate the lives lost in the sinking of the RMS Titanic on 15 April 1912. It was funded by contributions from the public, shipyard workers, and victims' families, and was dedicated in June 1920. It sits on Donegall Square in central Belfast, Northern Ireland in the grounds of Belfast City Hall.

Margaret Montgomery Pirrie, Viscountess Pirrie was an Irish public figure and philanthropist, the first woman Justice of the Peace in Belfast, and the first woman to receive the freedom of the city.

References

  1. "Albert Memorial Clock, Belfast". Archiseek, Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  2. "Thanksgiving Square Beacon". www.andyscottsculptor.com. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  3. "Iconic Masts". www.belfastcentre.com. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  4. https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/big-jim-larkin-18741947-310934
  5. "Big Fish". Visit Belfast. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  6. "The XV International Brigade "No Pasaran"". Excellent Street Images. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  7. "Spirit of Belfast". www.dangeorge.nyc. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  8. https://www.excellentstreetimages.com/belfast-street-photography/more-to-do/public-art-and-monuments/the-best-of-public-art/the-barrel-man-by-artist-ross-wilson/
  9. "Henry Cooke". www.victorianweb.org. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  10. "J3474 Sculpture Queen's Square/Custom House Square, Belfast". www.geograph.ie. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  11. "Thomas Thompson Memorial Fountain, Belfast". Archiseek, Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  12. "Belfast Cenotaph". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  13. "Queen Victoria,Belfast". Victorianweb.org. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  14. "Belfast Men Memorial". Titanic Memorials. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  15. "Sir Edward Harland". Victorianweb.org. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  16. "Lord Dufferin Memorial, City Hall, Belfast". Victorianweb.org. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  17. "Memorials and Statues". Belfast City Council. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  18. "Memorials and Statues". Belfast City Council. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  19. "Lord Pirrie Memorial Plinth, Belfast". Titanic Memorials. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  20. "Memorials and Statues". Belfast City Council. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  21. "R.I. Regiment Boer War Memorial". Irish War Memorials. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  22. "Bravery wins through 54 years on, Belfast statue for Catholic awarded VC". Guardian Newspaper . Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  23. "Korean War Monument dedicated at Belfast City Hall". BBC Northern Ireland. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  24. "Memorials and Statues". Belfast City Council. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  25. "your place and Mine – Greater Belfast. Inventors – Lord Kelvin". BBC Northern Ireland. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  26. "Joy, Albert, Bruce". Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720 – 1940. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  27. "new metal piece". Barryflanagan.com. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  28. https://www.flickr.com/photos/tonyworrall/2852377763
  29. "Ella Pirrie Statue, Belfast City Hospital". Geograph.ie. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  30. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=134128
  31. "Sweet Arch opened in Stranmillis" 4NI.co.uk, 27 November 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  32. "Sweet Water Arch" Art UK. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  33. "Queen's University Belfast". Ulster War Memorials. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  34. "Sir William Whitla (1851–1933)". The Dictionary of Ulster Biography. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  35. "Reclining Figure (1958)". The Naughton Gallery at Queens. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  36. "Eco at Queen's University". Excellent Street Images. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  37. "New Titanic sculptures unveiled". BBC News. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  38. "Titanic Kit". www.tonystallard.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  39. https://www.titanic.memorial/post/memorial/titanic+yardmen+401/
  40. "CS Lewis' life celebrated in new Belfast space". BBC Northern Ireland. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  41. "Elementary - Sherlock finally sorting out Carson at Stormont!". Derry Journal. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  42. "James Connolly statue unveiled in honour of 1916 Easter Rising leader". Irish Independent. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  43. "Sculpture is 'new icon' for Belfast". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  44. "Clonard Martyrs Memorial Garden". www.northernirelandmemorials.com. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  45. "Garden of Remembrance (Falls Road)". CAIN-Conflict Archive on the Internet. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  46. "Bayardo Bomb Memorial". CAIN-Conflict Archive on the Internet. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  47. https://extramuralactivity.com/2015/09/10/conors-corner/
  48. https://www.lisburnmuseum.com/virtual-museum-lisburn/statue-the-millie-crumlin-road/