Belfast
Titanic Belfast is a visitor attraction and a monument to Belfast's maritime heritage on the site of the formerHarland & Wolffshipyard in the city'sTitanic Quarter where the RMS Titanic was built. It tells the stories of the ill-fated Titanic, which hit an iceberg and sank during her maiden voyage in 1912, and her sister ships RMS Olympicand 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, plus private function rooms and community facilities.
The building is located on Queen's Island, an area of land at the entrance ofBelfast Lough which was reclaimed from the water in the mid-19th century. It was used for many years by the shipbuilders Harland and Wolff, who built huge slipways and graving docks to accommodate the simultaneous construction of Olympic and Titanic. The decline of shipbuilding in Belfast left much of the area derelict. Most of the disused structures on the island were demolished. A number of heritage features were given listed status, including the Olympic and Titanic slipways and graving docks, as well as the iconic Samson and Goliath cranes.
The derelict land was renamed the "Titanic Quarter" in 2001 and was earmarked for regeneration. Development rights over 185 acres was subsequently bought by Harcourt Developments at a cost of £46 million, with 23 more acres set aside for a science park. The redevelopment plans included houses, hotels and entertainment amenities plus a maritime heritage museum and science centre. In 2005, plans were announced to build a museum dedicated to Titanicto attract tourists to the area, with the aim of completing it by 2012 to mark the centenary of Titanic 's maiden voyage.
A number of ideas were put forward for the attraction. Among ideas considered were reconstructing the massive steel gantry in whichTitanic and Olympic were constructed, or building an illuminated wire frame outline of Titanic in the dock in which she was fitted out.In June 2008, details of a project – known then as the "Titanic Signature Project" – were announced. Northern Ireland's Tourism Minister, Arlene Foster, announced that the Northern Ireland Executive would provide 50 per cent of the attraction's funding through the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, with the remaining 50 per cent coming from the private sector, in the shape of Titanic Quarter Ltd, a sister company of Harcourt Developments, and the Belfast Harbour Commissioners. Additional funding was pledged byBelfast City Council. The task of creating the visitor attraction was taken on by the Titanic Foundation, a charity which aims to "educate people on Belfast's social, historical, industrial and maritime heritage through the story of the Titanic".
The building, now known as Titanic Belfast, was expected to attract 425,000 visitors annually, of whom between 130,000–165,000 would come from outside Northern Ireland. It is intended to serve a similar transformational function to that of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, designed by Frank Gehry, as a focus for the regeneration of the city.[8] It forms part of the Titanic–related heritage sites in Titanic Quarter, including the disused headquarters and drawing offices of Harland & Wolff, the SS Nomadic – the last surviving White Star Lineship – and Hamilton Dock, Titanic's Dock and Pump house and theTitanic and Olympic slipways.
First year visitor numbers significantly exceeded projections, with 807,340 visitors passing through its doors, of which 471,702 were from outside Northern Ireland, according to Titanic Belfast. The attraction has also sold 1,376 bottles of champagne and hosted over 350 conferences.
The Crumlin Road is a main road in north-west Belfast, Northern Ireland. The road runs from north of Belfast City Centre for about four miles to the outskirts of the city. It also forms part of the longer A52 road. The lower section of the road houses a number of historic buildings, including the city's former law courts and prison, whilst the road encompasses several large housing areas, including Ardoyne, Ballysillan and Ligoniel.
The Crumlin Road begins at Carlisle Circus, a roundabout north of the city centre just past the Westlink motorway. It is one of four exits from Carlisle Circus, the others being the Antrim Road, a major arterial and residential route that forms part of the A6, Clifton Street which leads back to the centre, and Denmark Street which leads to the area of the Lower Shankill Road known locally as Beirut.
The lowest section of the road contains a number of buildings of local and historic interest. The Mater Infirmorum Hospital, known colloquially as the Mater, is found just past Carlisle Circus and provides healthcare to the north of the city as well as the surrounding area. A 19th century structure, the Hospital is beside the derelict Crumlin Road Gaol which, from 1846 to 1986 was the main prison in Belfast.[3] After a number years of dereliction the venue opened as tourist attraction in 2013 and offers guided tours and venue hire. Facing the prison is the Crumlin Road Courthouse, which now also lies empty. Both buildings were designed by renowned local architect Charles Lanyon.
The Freemasons' Hall, the headquarters for a number of MasonicLodges attached to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Antrim is adjacent to the prison.[6] The hall was built in 1939, replacing an earlier building further along the Crumlin Road.