As part of my planned tour of various locations around the UK during 2023, my first port of call was the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland.
With the history of shipbuilding, Belfast has a tremendous heritage and today combines both old and new in a vivid way.
Here are 5 random facts that I discovered during my recent visit:
FACT: Belfast and Stockport, where I live, are linked.
Stockport Town Hall (known as the 'Wedding Cake') is an iconic structure, which was first opened in 1908 and was designed by Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas, who coincidentally also designed Belfast City Hall. Both buildings feature a striking baroque façade of white Portland stone and the architect was something of a town hall specialist, as he also designed the town halls for Portsmouth and Woolwich, as well as Stockport and Belfast.
FACT: The Dirty Onion is Belfast's oldest building. Dating back to 1780, the building was used as a bonded spirit warehouse from 1921. I enjoyed a really nice pint of Guinness here.
FACT: The Europa Hotel is known as the "most bombed hotel in the world" after having suffered 36 bomb attacks during the Troubles. The hotel is as much an icon of the city as the Titanic, as the city sightseeing tours drive past and point it out as the most-bombed hotel. When people go to Belfast now they have it on their bucket list; they have to see the Titanic and they have to go to the Europa.
FACT: The Grand Central Hotel is the second tallest building in Belfast, with 23 floors and a height of 80m, making the luxurious Observatory Bar on the top floor the tallest bar in Ireland with some of the most spectacular city views you’ll ever see.
Observatory Pale Ale was £10 a pint here too !
FACT: HBO’s Game of Thrones studios are in Belfast. Located in Titanic Quarter, the Titanic studios are one of Europe’s largest film studios. The buildings were part of the Harland and Wolff shipyard and are just a few steps away from the site where the Titanic was built.
The studios have welcomed some very famous productions including the HBO series Game of Thrones. And the film is recognised by a series of stain glassed art monuments, located throughout the harbour area.
If you want to see more about the sights and experience of today's Belfast, have a look at my latest video here:
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