Titanic Quarter

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Titanic Museum in Belfast Harbour (2013) Titanic Museum Belfast.jpg
Titanic Museum in Belfast Harbour (2013)

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. [1]

Completed projects

Apartments and sculpture in the Quarter in 2010 Titanic Quarter apartments and sculpture, Belfast, April 2010 (01).JPG
Apartments and sculpture in the Quarter in 2010
View towards Titanic Studios Opening Day, Titanic Belfast, 31 March 2012 (71).JPG
View towards Titanic Studios

The largest development is the £97 million Titanic Belfast visitor attraction which holds the record for the island's largest ever single concrete pour (4,300 cubic metres) for its foundations. The building opened on 31 March 2012 and attracted over 800,000 visitors in its first year. The attraction is owned by a charitable foundation. The architects said that "we have created an architectural icon that captures the spirit of the shipyards, ships, water crystals, ice, and the White Star Line's logo. Its architectural form cuts a skyline silhouette that has been inspired by the very ships that were built on this hallowed ground." [2]

In 2005 the Catalyst Inc opened. It is a hi-tech science park affiliated closely with Queen's University Belfast and University of Ulster and Titanic Studios (aka the Paint Hall Studios, a film studio originally created by film producer Jo Gilbert) [3] and used during the production of films including Tom Hanks's City of Ember starring Bill Murray, Your Highness and HBO's television series Game of Thrones . [4]

The new £30 million headquarters of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland opened at 2 Titanic Boulevard in April 2011. [5] PRONI is the national archive for Northern Ireland and holds records dating from 1219.

In September 2011, the largest education facility in Northern Ireland – Belfast Institute for Further and Higher Education (now Belfast Metropolitan College) relocated to a new £44 million campus in Titanic Quarter.

Belfast Harbour Marina opened in the centre of Titanic Quarter in 2009 as part of the Belfast Tall Ships Festival. Located in the Abercorn Basin, it features 40 berths for leisure craft, it was funded by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Belfast Tall Ships 2009 Ltd. It is the forerunner to a future 200 berth marina in the Titanic Quarter. [6]

In November 2010 the first hotel, a Premier Inn with onsite restaurant, opened in Titanic Quarter. Over 40 new jobs were created. [7]

In September 2017 a second hotel, Titanic Hotel Belfast, opened in the former Harland & Wolff Headquarters and Drawing Offices. The hotel includes artwork in the drawing offices from former Harland and Wolff worker, now current artist, Colin H Davidson. [8] billed as the "world's most authentic Titanic hotel".[ citation needed ]

Belfast Audi, operated by the Agnew Group, opened its new headquarters in November 2010. Located at 80 Sydenham Road, it created 115 new jobs. [9]

Porsche centre in the Titanic Quarter New Porsche showroom, Belfast (December 2017) (geograph 5634115).jpg
Porsche centre in the Titanic Quarter

The first residential development in Titanic Quarter was completed in December 2010. The Arc comprises apartments and shops, and is located adjacent to Abercorn Basin. [10]

Belfast Porsche, operated by the Agnew Group, opened its new showroom beside Belfast Audi in December 2017. This replaced the existing showroom on Boucher Crescent.

Sport

In September 2014, Northern Irish boxer Carl Frampton won the IBF world super-bantamweight title in a specially constructed outdoor arena in the Titanic Quarter in front of 16,000 fans, [11] Northern Ireland's largest ever boxing crowd. [12]

Transport

The Titanic Quarter is served by Translink Metro Services 94, 600A and 600B bus services, which run from Donegall Square North (Across from City Hall) to Holywood Exchange, Catalyst Inc, and Belfast City Airport, via The SSE Arena, Queens Road, Titanic Belfast and Belfast Harbour Estate East.

The area is also served by NI Railways services to Titanic Quarter (Bridge End) station, which is the first station heading towards Bangor on the Belfast–Bangor line from Lanyon Place.

The G2 service, operated by the Belfast Rapid Transit System (Glider) also terminates at Titanic Quarter.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harland & Wolff</span> Shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding and fabrication company headquartered in London with sites in Belfast, Arnish, Appledore and Methil. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the White Star Line, including Olympic-class trioRMS Olympic, RMS Titanic and HMHS Britannic. Outside of White Star Line, other ships that have been built include the Royal Navy's HMS Belfast; Royal Mail Line's Andes; Shaw, Savill & Albion's Southern Cross; Union-Castle's RMS Pendennis Castle; P&O's Canberra; and Hamburg-America's SS Amerika of 1905. Harland and Wolff's official history, Shipbuilders to the World, was published in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Andrews</span> British businessman and shipbuilder (1875–1912)

Thomas Andrews Jr. was a British businessman and shipbuilder. He was managing director and head of the drafting department of the shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff in Belfast, Ireland.

<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">Belfast Lough</span> Large, intertidal sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland

Belfast Lough is a large, intertidal sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland. At its head is the city and port of Belfast, which sits at the mouth of the River Lagan. The lough opens into the North Channel and connects Belfast to the Irish Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulster Folk and Transport Museums</span>

The Ulster Folk Museum and the Ulster Transport Museum are situated in Cultra, Northern Ireland, about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) east of the city of Belfast. The Folk Museum endeavours to illustrate the way of life and traditions of the people in Northern Ireland, past and present, while the Transport Museum explores and exhibits methods of transport by land, sea and air, past and present. The museums rank among Ireland's foremost visitor attractions and is a former Irish Museum of the Year. The location houses two of four museums included in National Museums Northern Ireland.

SS <i>Nomadic</i> (1911) Former tender

SS Nomadic is a former tender of the White Star Line, launched on 25 April 1911 in Belfast now on display in Belfast's Titanic Quarter. She was built to transfer passengers and mail to and from RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic. She is the only surviving vessel designed by Thomas Andrews who also helped design those two ocean liners, and the last White Star Line vessel in existence today.

HMS <i>Caroline</i> (1914) Royal Navy C-class light cruiser

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast Harbour</span> Major maritime hub in Northern Ireland

Belfast Harbour is a major maritime hub in Belfast, Northern Ireland, handling 67% of Northern Ireland's seaborne trade and about 25% of the maritime trade of the entire island of Ireland. It is a vital gateway for raw materials, exports and consumer goods, and is also Northern Ireland's leading logistics and distribution hub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samson and Goliath (cranes)</span> Shipbuilding gantry cranes in Belfast

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustav Wilhelm Wolff</span> German-born British shipbuilder and politician

Gustav Wilhelm Wolff was a German-born British shipbuilder and politician. Born in Hamburg, he moved to Liverpool in 1849 to live with his uncle, Gustav Christian Schwabe. After serving his apprenticeship in Manchester, Wolff was employed as a draughtsman in Hyde, Greater Manchester, before being employed by the shipbuilder Edward Harland in Belfast as his personal assistant. In 1861, Wolff became a partner at Harland's firm, forming Harland and Wolff. Outside shipbuilding, Wolff served as a Belfast Harbour Commissioner. He also founded the Belfast Ropeworks, served as Member of Parliament for Belfast East for 18 years and as a member of the Conservative and Unionist Party and Irish and Ulster Unionist parties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buildings and structures in Belfast</span>

The buildings and structures of Belfast, Northern Ireland comprise many styles of architecture ranging from Edwardian through to state-of-the-art modern buildings like the Waterfront Hall. The city's beautiful Edwardian buildings are notable for their display of a large number of sculptures. Many of Belfast's Victorian landmarks, including the main Lanyon Building at Queens University in 1849, were designed by Sir Charles Lanyon.

The economy of Belfast, Northern Ireland was initially built on trade through Belfast Harbour. Later, industry contributed to its growth, particularly shipbuilding and linen. At the beginning of the 20th century Belfast was both the largest producer of linen in the world and also boasted the world's largest shipyard. Civil unrest impacted the city's industry for many years, but with the republican and loyalist ceasefires of the mid-1990s, Good Friday Agreement and the St Andrews Agreement in 2006, the city's economy has seen some resurgence once again.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ireland Screen</span>

Northern Ireland Screen is the national screen agency for Northern Ireland. The agency's purpose is to promote the development of a sustainable film, animation and television production industry.

<i>Titanic</i> Belfast Visitor attraction in Northern Ireland

TitanicBelfast is a visitor attraction opened in 2012, a monument to Belfast's maritime heritage on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard in the city's Titanic Quarter where the RMS Titanic was built. It tells the stories of the Titanic, which hit an iceberg and sank during her maiden voyage in 1912, and her sister ships RMS Olympic and HMHS Britannic. The building contains more than 12,000 square metres (130,000 sq ft) of floor space, most of which is occupied by a series of galleries, private function rooms and community facilities.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria (District Electoral Area)</span> Electoral division in east Belfast, Northern Ireland

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<i>Titanic: Blood and Steel</i> 2012 12-part television costume drama

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<i>Titanic Kit</i> Sculpture in Belfast, Northern Ireland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrol Gantry</span> Shipyard gantry in Belfast

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Arc apartments</span> Residential development in Northern Ireland

The Arc is a residential development located beside Abercorn Basin in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It contains 474 residential properties, a hotel, and a number of retail units, split across three buildings. The name "Arc" is an abbreviation for Abercorn Residential Complex, and also refers to the curved design of the buildings.

References

  1. McCaffrey, Una (18 June 2003). "Harcourt behind £47m Belfast shipyard land deal". The Irish Times . Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  2. "Titanic Belfast unveiled". Urban Realm. 31 March 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  3. "Paint Hall Studios Launched". 4 Regional Film & Video. 13 December 2000. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  4. "The Paint Hall Studio". Northern Ireland Screen. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012.
  5. "Public Record Office to reopen at new Belfast base". BBC News Northern Ireland. 30 March 2011.
  6. "Belfast Harbour Marina". Belfast Harbour Commissioners .
  7. "Premier Inn scores a first for city's Titanic Quarter". Belfast Telegraph . 14 September 2010.
  8. "Inside Belfast's new £28m Titanic Hotel as it opens with a fanfare". Belfast Telegraph . 10 September 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  9. "Recession fails to put a dent in Audi's celebrity-packed Belfast party". Belfast Telegraph. 15 November 2010.
  10. "The Arc". Archived from the original on 19 August 2010.
  11. Dirs, Ben (7 September 2014). "Carl Frampton beats Kiko Martinez to become IBF world champion". BBC News Online. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  12. Dirs, Ben (1 September 2014). "Carl Frampton v Kiko Martinez: IBF super-bantamweight title fight". BBC News Online. Retrieved 30 January 2018.