Belfast City Hall

Belfast, United Kingdom

The site now occupied by Belfast City Hall was once the home of the White Linen Hall, an important international Linen Exchange. Plans for the City Hall began in 1888 when Belfast was awarded city status by Queen Victoria. This was in recognition of Belfast's rapid expansion and thriving linen, rope-making, shipbuilding and engineering industries.

Construction began in 1898 under the supervision of architect Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas and was completed in 1906. Belfast Corporation, now the council, its their profits from the gas industry to pay for the construction of the Belfast City Hall.

The exterior is built mainly from Portland stone and is in the Baroque Revival style. It covers an area of one and a half acres and has an enclosed courtyard. Featuring towers at each of the four corners, with a lantern-crowned 53 m copper dome in the centre, the City Hall dominates the city centre skyline. As with other Victorian buildings in the city centre, the City Hall's copper-coated domes are a distinctive green.

The Titanic Memorial in Belfast is located on the grounds of Belfast City Hall.

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Address

A1, Belfast, United Kingdom
See all sites in Belfast

Details

Founded: 1898
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in United Kingdom

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Arthur Alexander (8 months ago)
The Belfast City Hall is filled up with history and fun facts about Northern Ireland. Perhaps one of the most welcoming places in the city where you get to explore interesting exhibitions and enjoy classical architecture. Admission here is free and they also offer guides tours, the latter with scheduled times. Make sure to budget some time to have a full experience, you can easily spend one to two hours here.
Laura Carolina (8 months ago)
Very good exhibition about Belfast history, and do go on the worthwhile tour of the building. Impressive features for a city hall! Marble, murals, stained glass, carved wood. The guide was willing to answer any questions about the building and governing body. There is a café also, and toilets. A memorial to the Titanic victims is outside.
Fabian Novoa (9 months ago)
Centrally located in downtown, this is a building worth admiring thanks to its design and monumental size. The entrance is free to the exhibition downstairs but I learned that there are free guided tours as well. It was definitely interesting to learn about the history of home rule and about iconic Irish individuals throughout modern history. Make sure to visit the Titanic memorial which is just outside the building.
Clare Brake (10 months ago)
It's a lovely building - go inside and see for yourself! The staff are very helpful too. On a clear sunny day you can do a lot worse than sit in the grounds and watch the world go by. I highly recommend the marble masterpiece inside. Also on a warm day it is always beautifully cool and pleasant inside.
Amanda Kennedy (13 months ago)
City Hall is brilliant. I visited Belfast City Hall during my trip to Belfast this year. I wasn’t able to visit previously because of closure during Covid on a previous trip I made. The wait was worth it as I was amazed by the stunning architecture and design of this building. There was a exhibit put on when I visited about the history of building, the people of Belfast, and the vision of the town. The entire exhibit was a delightful experience learning. There is a cafe inside of city hall that supports people with autism. The food was delicious that I ordered from the cafe. I had the tomato soup and bread with butter. The building is kept up with and the grounds is well maintained. The employees of Belfast City Hall were all knowledgeable and helpful in my experience.
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