York Street

Today York Street is the centre of a major rejuvenation thanks to the new buildings of the University of Ulster and associated student accommodation.

These developments are breathing new life into what, for a long time, has been an area of ‘down at heel’ businesses and carparks, split in two by the Westlink motorway.

However, this was not always the case. In the 19th to mid-20th centuries, York Street was an important, thriving thoroughfare. Belfast residents, and country folk disembarking at the Railway Station, had to go no further than York Street to meet all their grocery, drapery and household needs.

Visitors to Belfast have been always loud in their admiration of York Street. It is one or the noblest – if, indeed, not the noblest – of our thoroughfares…

York Street Thoroughfare Belfast Telegraph 7th July 1873

York Street commenced at the junction of Donegall Street and John Street (now Royal Avenue) and continued until York Road. It is in the north of the city not far from the docks district.

In 1800 the street was known as the Duke of York Street, in honour of the Duke of York, Prince Frederick Augustus (1763-1827), second son of the English king George 3rd. However, by 1819 it was simply known as York Street.

The wide street was a mixture of substantial town houses, private businesses and commercial concerns. In the 1820’s York Street was still only partially built and was the venue of a horse fair.

“The horse fairs, on the 12th August and 12th of November, held in York Street, were both noisy and exciting. All the juveniles prepared their whips for the fair, and the contest was to see which could crack their whips the loudest”

Thomas Gaffikin, Belfast Fifty Years Ago, 1875

York Street Residents

York Street contained 21 houses, the residences of 35 men and 66 women. It was home to a number of the gentry. Presumably they lived in the “large elegant private houses” as described by James Adair Pilson writing in the 1860’s.

In the 1843 Belfast Street Directory James Stanfield, James Addison and Thomas Fryer are some of the inhabitants of York Street whose occupation is given as ‘Gentleman’.

One notable resident of York Street was the prominent shipbuilder Sir Edward Harland.

A number of professional men also had their homes on the busy thoroughfare. In the 1840’s architect John Miller lived at no 63 York Street. In 1852 Edward Henesey, an accountant in the Ulster Bank, lived at No 69. John McCloy, a surveyor of steam vessels, lived at no 279 in 1877 and G A Webb, a pharmaceutical chemist resided at No.141 in 1890.

Over the years York Street was also home to numerous medical men including John Edward Kinley MD (1843), Dr Francis Heeney (1843), George F Wales, surgeon (1852) and R Bolton MD (1877). While in 1861 Dr Michael Magee was in charge of York Street Medical Hall.

The most renowned doctor to live on York Street was Andrew George Malcolm (see link to post below – Andrew Malcolm – Physician and Public Health Reformer). Dr Malcolm worked tirelessly to improve sanitary conditions in Belfast and to provide a safer working environment in the towns hazardous mills and factories.

19th century York Street was also ‘jam-packed’ with shops offering all sorts of commodities

• Daniel Crummey – fruiterer and grocer
• Thomas Greenfield – haberdasher
• Henry Wharton – Scotch bazaar
• Samuel Kennedy – confectioner
• Thomas Fox – butcher
• John Bailie – ironmonger
• G Jones – York Street bazaar and fancy toy shop

The Belfast Co-operative Society

One of the most well-known shops on 20th century York Street was the Belfast Co-operative Society. The large 4-5 storey building, complete with cupola and clock tower, was constructed in 3 stages.

The original shop was designed by the firm of Hill and Kennedy of 35 Wellington Place, and opened on 22nd April 1911.

The main building was the work of Belfast-man Samuel Stevenson in 1912-14.

The Orpheus Building which housed the Co-op from the 1930’s onwards was also designed by Stevenson, whose business premises were on nearby Royal Ave. This was formally opened on 4th May 1932 by Viscount Craigavon.

The Co-Op building was faced with Ruabon brick with Mount Charles stone dressings. The total cost was £6,000.

“Ground floor shopfronts have black granite stall risers, red granite pilasters and small-pane toplights under red granite fascias; giant order Ionic pilasters at second and third floors support the main cornice”

Marcus Patton, Central Belfast, an Historical Gazetteer, 1993

This was Belfast’s largest department store at the time. The frontage stretched for nearly 500 feet and the top floor housed a ballroom.

The Co-op was extensively (and unsympathetically) renovated over the following decades. Business suffered badly in the 1980s due to increasing competition from newer, more modern shops such as Castle Court. In decline, commercial operations were gradually scaled back over a few years before the store closed for good in October 1992.

It was finally demolished in 2015, the former Co-Op site is now occupied by the University of Ulster.

Household Furnishing

Another popular store at 156 York Street was Thomas H. McKnight’s furniture store. All the items were manufactured in nearby Dock Street and sold from this showroom

“This is fitted in an elegant manner, and neatly arranged for the display of the firm’s manufactures. Every description of furniture is here shown, from plain kitchen suites to the finest parlour and drawing-room furniture, in the most exquisite style of material, make, and finish”

Industries of the North 1888-91

A competing purveyor of furniture was the spacious Empire Furnishing Company Ltd. at Nos 85-95.

As well as numerous shops some bigger manufacturing concerns had their premises on this street such as John Rowan’s York Street Foundry (see post The Life of John Rowan – Doagh, County Antrim).

Another large employer, established in Belfast in 1896 at York Street was Gallagher Ltd Tobacco, Cigarette and Snuff Manufacturers. At one time this was the largest tobacco manufacturer in the world.

At No.58 was the premises of Anderson Brothers, Provision Curers, Butter and Egg Merchants.

“Irish provisions form the chief speciality of their business, but they are also large importers of the best class of American goods from Liverpool”

Industries of the North 1888-1891

Some smaller businesses in the 1850’s included

• Susanna Moffatt – straw bonnet maker
• Samuel McAteer – muslin manufacturer
• McReynolds & Knox – gingham and check cloth manufacturers
• Irvine & McCutcheon – stone cutters
• James Roney – tracing paper manufacturer
• John Connor – carpenter
• Joseph Faren – steam biscuit manufacturer
• Mrs Chase – servants registry office.

The York Street Flax Spinning Mill.

A substantial industrial concern on this prominent avenue was the York Street Flax Spinning Mill.

“The York Street Spinning Mill, whose products find a ready market in every clime”

Northern Whig 24th November 1902

It was situated on the corner of York Street and Henry Street. The company had been founded in 1828 (initially for cotton manufacture) by Thomas Mulholland “the pioneer of linen production in the city”. It was an extremely successful enterprise with branches in Paris (1870), New York (1871), London (1874), Berlin (1876) and Melbourne (1882).

At its height, the York Street Mill employed many thousands of workers and was the biggest linen mill in the world.

The Mulhollands subsequently erected 8,000 spindles in a mill in York Street, the building of which mill still contains the offices of the present celebrated ‘York Street Spinning Company, Limited’

D J Owen, History of Belfast, 1921

Other York Street Establishments

During the 19th century, private educational establishments could also be found on this busy road.

In 1843 Miss Henderson ran a Boarding and Day School at No. 14, while Mrs McCann and Miss Tate had a similar enterprise at No. 95.

In 1868 the Salem Chapel and National School stood on the corner with Great George’s Street and the Misses McCracken had a School of Music and Drawing.

Mid-century, James Gordon is listed as a Professor of Dancing and he is later joined, at No. 5, by Charles D Gordon, a Professor of Music.

Several religious communities also had places of worship on York Street. The first church constructed here was the ‘Primitive Secession Meeting House’. The Rev Reuben John Bryce from Coleraine was its minister. This gentleman was also a principal of the Belfast Academy [now the Belfast Royal Academy].

The Meeting House building was situated between Trafalgar Street and Henry Street.

In 1843 a Presbyterian Meeting House was situated at No. 52 while in 1852 the Beth Birel Chapel was at No. 39.

A Unitarian Meeting House on York Street was constructed in 1855. This was the first commissioned work in Belfast for Newry-born architect W J Barre.

York Street Station

On 11th April 1848 a railway station opened at the junction of York Street and York Road, the Belfast and Ballymena Railway. It served the Ballymena, Derry, Carrickfergus and Larne routes to Belfast.

This was one of three terminus stations in the city. The building was designed by Charles Lanyon and the cast iron and glass roof was designed and constructed by Robert Mallet, a noted seismologist and engineer. The station was extended in 1873-75 and again in the 1890’s.

In 1903, the interior of the station was remodelled by Berkeley Deane Wise. He added pretty wooden cabins as kiosks and ticket offices. Wise was a popular gentleman from County Wexford and he was responsible for the design of many Irish railway stations including those at Portrush, Ballymoney, Greenisland and Whiteabbey.

With the amalgamation of the railway under an Act of 1921 the railway was renamed the London, Midland and Scottish Railways – the LMS.

The advent of the railway station also meant an increase in hotels and lodging houses nearby to accommodate, both, visitors and commercial travellers.

The Queen’s Arms / Grand Metropole Hotel

In 1852, on the corner of York Street and Donegall Street was the site of the Queen’s Arms Hotel, proprietor Thomas Cunningham.

“Time was when the old ’ Queens’ was a favourite hostelry, especially for sportsmen and theatrical people, and many a jolly racing and coursing crowd it has housed when John McKenna was the genial host”

Northern Whig 23rd July 1934

In 1890 the business was purchased by the McGlade brothers and the name changed to the Metropole Hotel (subsequently the Grand Metropole). The four-storey building had a canopied entrance on York Street and the entrance to the restaurant was on Donegall Street. Its location close to the railway station and on the main tram routes (electric tramcars were introduced in 1905) ensured its popularity.

The Metropole continued in operation until the 1930’s when it was demolished for the widening of Donegall Street.

The Midland Railway Hotel

Arguably the most famous hotel in the area was the Midland Railway Hotel, later known just as the Midland. It was built on the junction of York Street and Whitla Street and was attached to the station. It was designed by Berkeley Deane Wise in a grand Victorian style and opened in 1898.

Other Hotels & Entertainment

Other hotels on York Street included the Cavehill View Hotel, the Waterloo Hotel, the Princesses’ Hotel, the Albion Hotel and the Provincial Hotel, proprietor James Dempsey.

For those on a more restricted budget there was Eliza Bushel’s lodging house at No. 265. In addition, in 1900 there were three Temperance Hotels on York Street.

Public houses and eating places were also common on York Street, such as the Metropolitan Bar, the Lorne Refreshment Rooms, the Royal Ave Bar, the Britannia Tea House, the White Hart, the Supper Bar, the York Café and J Raffo’s Fried Fish Saloon.

The International Bar and Billiard Hall was also a popular venue as was, in later times, the Orpheus Bar.

In a map of 1790, a bowling green is depicted at the corner of Academy Lane and (the future) York Street. The Belfast Bowling club founded in 1842, had for a time, its green on York Street, where the flax mill was established. Later a number of billiard halls had their premises on this busy street.

The Electric Picture Palace

Another place of entertainment on York Street was the Electric Picture Palace, also known as the Silver Cinema. It was constructed in 1910 at Nos 19-21 with 250 seats. It was owned by Mr Fred Stewart a fore-runner of cinema building in the town

“He must be counted as one of the most important early cinema entrepreneurs”

Michael Open, Fading Lights Silver Screen, 1985

The first movie here was ‘The Betraying Mirror’ shown on 22nd August. Tickets cost between 2d and 4d. This picture house closed on 16th March 1915. Fred Stewart then opened a larger cinema further along York Street at number 68. The ‘New York’ opened on 31st July 1916. It had a capacity of 750. The opening movie was ‘Maciste’ starring Bartolomeo Pagano. Ticket prices 3d to 5d.

York Street – 20th Century

By the turn of the 20th century, York Street was almost completely a commercial thoroughfare with a host of different shops and businesses, though many folk and even their employees often lived above their workplaces.

There appears to be literally nothing that could not be bought from groceries to sewing machines, fancy goods to plumbing, furniture to funeral supplies!

“Like many other throughfares in Belfast, York Street has been transformed by the rapid growth of the city. Largely a residential locality at the outset, it has become an up-to-date shopping centre”

Belfast Newsletter 15th November 1934

The Blitz

However, York Streets location close to Belfast harbour, much as it had served the thriving businesses, was to prove a disadvantage during WW2. The area was extensively damaged during the Blitz of April 1941. Large stretches of York Street were reduced to rubble.

Numerous historic buildings were destroyed or badly damaged, including the Midland Hotel and the International Bar.

The York Street Spinning Mill was devastated by a bomb – after the site had been cleared the great mill chimney was all that remained standing. Unfortunately, the walls of the mill collapsed onto surrounding workers houses resulting in a great many fatalities.

The mill was rebuilt in 1947 under the direction of Samuel Stevenson however, it finally closed its doors in 1961.

The railway station was also a prime target.

“Only a small portion of the building, designed by the renowned architect Charles Lanyon, was retained in the rebuilding….The grand station lost the large overall semi-circular glass roofs which covered the passenger platforms at the concourse end. Sadly these were never replaced after the war”

Dr Ian Adamson Bombs on Belfast 2011

York Street Today

In the late 20th century, York Street and the surrounding districts suffered a reversal of fortunes (see post St Joseph’s Church – the Chapel on the Quays).

The transport needs of the city resulted in largescale demolition of commercial properties and homes and the displacement of the local population.

There are not many streets in Belfast that have had such a changing outlook and chequered history as York Street.

However, the story is far from over. Although the Street may never regain its “Belfast’s Noblest Street” accolade, once again York Street is becoming a lively and vibrant area, with an altogether new flavour and clientele.

Related Posts

Andrew Malcolm – Physician and Public Health Reformer

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The Life of John Rowan – Doagh, County Antrim

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Saint Joseph’s Church – The Chapel on the Quays

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