Great Victoria Street, Belfast

Last updated

Great Victoria Street in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a major thoroughfare located in the city centre and is one of the important streets used by pedestrians alighting from Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station and walking into shopping streets such as Royal Avenue.

Contents

The street connects with the Donegall Road and the Lisburn Road which are also linked into Shaftesbury Square in the southern direction and towards the Donegall Square in the northern direction, which links via Howard Street into Donegall Place.

The street itself was named in honour of Queen Victoria. It includes the Monument to the Unknown Woman Worker, which is in a prominent walking route into Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station. There are also a number of churches located along the street.

Great Victoria Street looking northwards with the Crown Liquor Saloon on the right. The Crown Bar in Great Victoria Street, Belfast - geograph.org.uk - 5825401.jpg
Great Victoria Street looking northwards with the Crown Liquor Saloon on the right.

The station, which is a terminal building, probably designed by Ulster Railway engineer John Godwin, was completed in 1848. [1] In April 1976 Northern Ireland Railways closed Great Victoria Street, and the Belfast Queen's Quay terminus of the Bangor line, replacing them with the Belfast Central station. Great Victoria Street station was demolished.

After a feasibility study was commissioned in 1986 it was agreed that a new development on the site, incorporating the reintroduction of the Great Northern Railway, was viable. The Great Northern Tower was built on the site of the old station terminus in 1992, [2] and the second Great Victoria Street Station was opened on 30 September 1995. [3] It is only yards from the site of its predecessor.

Notable addresses

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York Road railway station</span> Former station in Belfast, Northern Ireland

York Road railway station served the north of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly one of the three terminus railway stations in Belfast. The others were Great Victoria Street, and Queen's Quay.

Belfast City Centre is the central business district of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crown Liquor Saloon</span> Ornate pub in Belfast

The Crown Liquor Saloon, also known as the Crown Bar, is a pub in Great Victoria Street in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Refurbished in 1885, and at least twice since, it is an outstanding example of a Victorian gin palace, and one of Northern Ireland's best-known pubs. It is owned by the National Trust and is leased to Mitchells & Butlers who run it as a Nicholson's pub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donegall Square</span> Public square in central Belfast, Northern Ireland

Donegall Square is a square in the centre of Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. In the centre is Belfast City Hall, the headquarters of Belfast City Council. Each side of the square is named according to its geographical location, i.e. Donegall Square North, South, East and West. It is named after the Donegall family. Other streets to bear their name in Belfast are Donegall Road, Donegall Pass and Donegall Street. Donegall Place, the city's main shopping street, runs from the north side of the square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast–Newry line</span>

The Belfast–Newry line operates from Lanyon Place station in County Antrim to Newry in County Down, Northern Ireland. The manager for this line is based at Portadown railway station, although the line extends to the border to include the Scarva and Poyntzpass halts and Newry. Newry is on the fringe of the network, being the last stop before the border with the Republic of Ireland. The line follows the route of the northern half of the main Dublin–Belfast line, with the exception of calling at Belfast Great Victoria Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Hospital railway station</span> Railway station in Belfast

City Hospital railway station, situated on Donegall Road, serves Belfast City Hospital and the surrounding area of south Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, Botanic, and Lanyon Place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Europa Hotel, Belfast</span> Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland

The Europa Hotel is a four-star hotel in Great Victoria Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral Quarter, Belfast</span>

The Cathedral Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a developing area of the city, roughly situated between Royal Avenue near where the Belfast Central Library building is, and the Dunbar Link in the city centre. From one of its corners, the junction of Royal Avenue, Donegall Street and York Street, the Cathedral Quarter lies south and east. Part of the area, centred on Talbot Street behind the cathedral, was formerly called the Half Bap. The "Little Italy" area was on the opposite side of Great Patrick Street centred on Little Patrick Street and Nelson Street.

<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">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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linen Quarter, Belfast</span>

The Linen Quarter is a vibrant area of Belfast city centre. The name is derived from the great many linen warehouses that are still present in the area. The Linen Quarter is host to some of the major cultural venues of Belfast, including the Ulster Hall and Grand Opera House, alongside a large number of hotels, bars, restaurants and cafes. The district also includes the main transport hub of Belfast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station</span> Railway station in Belfast

Great Victoria Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of two major stations in the city, along with Lanyon Place, and is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being Lanyon Place, Botanic and City Hospital. It is situated near Great Victoria Street, one of Belfast's premier commercial zones, and Sandy Row. It is also in a more central position than Lanyon Place, with the Europa Hotel, Grand Opera House and The Crown Liquor Saloon all nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laganbank (District Electoral Area)</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

Laganbank was one of the nine district electoral areas in Belfast, Northern Ireland which existed from 1985 to 2014. Located in the south of the city, the district elected five members to Belfast City Council and contained the wards of Ballynafeigh, Botanic, Shaftesbury, Stranmillis, and Rosetta. Laganbank, along with neighbouring Balmoral, formed the greater part of the Belfast South constituencies for the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Avenue, Belfast</span>

Royal Avenue is a street in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In the Cathedral Quarter in the heart of Belfast city centre, as well as being identified with the more recent Smithfield and Union Quarter, it has been the city's principal shopping thoroughfare since its establishment in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaftesbury Square</span> Road area in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Shaftesbury Square is in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the southern end of Great Victoria Street and Dublin road, with the adjoining streets of Lisburn Road and the Donegall Road converging at this junction. It is in the area commonly known as the Golden Mile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen's Quay railway station</span>

Queen's Quay railway station served the east of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly one of the three terminus railway stations in Belfast. The others were Great Victoria Street, and York Road.

Queen's Bridge railway station was the terminus of the Belfast Central Railway which ran from the Ulster Junction on the Ulster Railway to Ballymacarrett Junction on the Belfast and County Down Railway, through central Belfast, Ireland.

References

  1. Pollock, Vivienne; Parkhill, Trevor (2001). A Century of Belfast. Swindon: Sutton Publishing. ISBN   0-7509-2897-2.
  2. "17 Great Victoria Street | Great Northern Tower". futurebelfast.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  3. "John Bennett's Railways Journeys – Part 6: An Enterprising Journey". BBC NI. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2008.

54°35′42″N5°56′02″W / 54.595°N 5.934°W / 54.595; -5.934