City Hall by Katie Ireland

Description

The site now occupied by Belfast City Hall was once the home of the White Linen Hall, an important international Linen Exchange. The street that runs from the back door of Belfast City Hall through the middle of Linen Quarter is Linen Hall Street.

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. During this period Belfast briefly overtook Dublin as the most populated city in Ireland.

Construction began in 1898 under the supervision of architect Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas and was completed in 1906 at a cost of £369,000. Belfast Corporation, now the council, used their profits from the gas industry to pay for the construction of the Belfast City Hall. Local firms H&J Martin and WH Stephens were among the companies involved in the construction. James G. Gamble, architect, was the clerk of works.

The city hall in Durban, South Africa is almost an exact replica of Belfast’s City Hall. It was built in 1910 and designed by Stanley G. Hudson, who was inspired by the Belfast design. The Port of Liverpool Building, designed by Arnold Thornley and completed in 1913, is another very close relative.

Born and raised in Belfast, Katie studied a BA in Fashion and Textiles at Ulster University where she developed her interest in illustration and print design, and launched her business Katie Ireland designs.

Katie Ireland’s creations are inspired by urban environments, buildings, vistas and textures from the founders place of origin. Beginning with a deep appreciation of the city of Belfast, the aesthetic of the Katie Ireland brand reflects back at us where we live and how we live. Both a celebration and acknowledgement of interurban and interaction.

Print available in A3 and A4.