The cranes at the Harland and Wolff shipyard known as Samson and Goliath.
The cranes at the Harland and Wolff shipyard known as Samson and Goliath.
East Belfast only became part of the city following an extension of the municipal boundary to take in the old townland of Ballymacarrett on the County Down bank of the River Lagan in 1853. However, Ballymacarrett had been part of Belfast in all but name since its purchase and inclusion in the Chichester estates in 1787. It was from the start an important contributor to the industrial success of the city with a glassworks, foundry, ropeworks etc, and became pre-eminent with the growth of its shipyards.
The shipyards gave a unique, close-knit character to the local community. Literally thousands of households were linked by having members working in what was at one period the world's largest single shipyard, Harland and Wolff, which at its peak had over 30000 employees. Although East Belfast no longer rings to the sounds of shipbuilding the special community identity is still strong.
Known worldwide as home to the ill-fated Titanic, the area, subsequently extended to absorb the villages of Sydenham, Strandtown and Knock, has other claims to fame. It had the world's largest ropeworks and Short Brothers (now Bombardier), pioneers in aviation and builders of the Sunderland flying boat and the Stirling bomber, established their aircraft factory in 1936. East Belfast was the birthplace of the author C.S.Lewis and later the world famous footballer, George Best, and the singer Van Morrison. It is now home to the Northern Ireland Assembly which meets in the fine Parliament Buildings at Stormont.
East Belfast is perhaps best identified by the enormous, yellow, shipyard gantries, Samson and Goliath, which dominate the skyline. These have become icons of past glory but, despite industrial decline, the area is now a vital part of the Laganside regeneration scheme with the Odyssey, a huge, modern sport and entertainment complex, and the Titanic Business Quarter for the development of high-tech industries. The East Belfast Historical Society through its well attended meetings and publications provides a focus for the preservation and dissemination of information regarding the area's notable history and heritage.
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Hon Secretary
Isabel McQuitty
19 Thornhill Drive
Belfast
BT5 7AW
Tel 028 9065 3601
Email secretary@ebhs.org.uk
Webmaster ~ Lisa Carson
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