True Stories
August 1876 – Severe Gales, Theft of Feathers and the Days of Coaches
The news in 1876 – August 1876 – Severe Gales, Theft of Feathers, Injury of Clothes and the Days of Coaches
Historical Places
Queen Street’s Belfast Hospital for Sick Children
Queen Street’s Belfast Hospital for Sick Children opened in April 1879 funded through donations and subscriptions. Today it lies derelict
People
Edward Bunting – A precious gift of the melodies of our native bards
Edward Bunting was a celebrated musician who gifted us a precious inheritance of the matchless melodies of our native bards…
Places
Marquis Street, Belfast – Let There Be Light!
Marquis Street today is an abandoned thoroughfare, its long history forgotten but it played a surprising part in Belfast’s development.
Places
The House of Correction – Belfast’s terrifying city centre prison
How many walking down Howard Street in Belfast today realise that it once hosted Belfast’s “House of Correction” – a prison to be feared!
Historical Places
Church Lane, Belfast – Skeletons, bars and ‘Bullseye Braithwaite’
A small 17th‑century street, Church Lane has an impressive history featuring a myriad of occupants, ghosts, bars and ‘Bullseye Braithwaite’
Forgotten Folk
William Sampson – Equality Advocate on both sides of the Atlantic
Lawyer William Sampson dedicated his life to the ideals of democracy and justice both in Ireland and in his subsequent exile in America,
Places
Belfast’s Forgotten Streets and Corners
Belfast has ‘lost’ many quirkily named streets, lanes and alleys over the years, among them Cooney’s Court, Bluebell Entry and Elbow Lane
True Stories
February 1876 News – The Courts, Curiosities and the Macabre.
The newspapers of February 1876 covered a range of stories including court proceedings, “babes” in the city and murder at a “Spelling Bee”
Forgotten Folk
Edward Benn – A Tale of Three Belfast Hospitals
Despite enduring poor health during his own life, Edward Benn’s charitable donations did much to relieve the suffering of many in Belfast
Stories
January 1876 News – The Donegall Place Fire in Belfast
January 1876 News – The Great Belfast Donegall Street Fire, Armagh’s Ghostly Resurrection and Love’s Young Dream
Historical Places
Lombard Street – Legg’s Lane, the Curiosity Shop & Gutta-percha
Lombard Street, Belfast replaced Legg’s Lane and Caddell’s Entry as a popular business location featuring the Curiosity Shop and Gutta-percha
Historical Places
Academy Street, Belfast – Teenage Rebellion, Oddfellows Hall and the Blitz!
Today Academy Street, Belfast is an unremarkable thoroughfare. Its forgotten history has much of interest including an armed student revolt.
Historical Places
Wilson’s Court – The Story of a Belfast Entry and its Northern Star
Wilson’s Court is a neglected narrow Belfast alley. It was once such a populous, busy and important thoroughfare!
Stories
October 1875 News – A Dark Seance at the Imperial Hotel and Corporation Street on Fire
What was being reported in our local newspapers 150 years ago? Read some of the news & stories of October 1875
Forgotten Folk
“Barney Maglone” – The Life of Robert Arthur Wilson
Robert A Wilson (Barney Maglone) “An able journalist, a gifted poet, a fearless and unflinching advocate for the rights of the people”
Forgotten Folk
Reverend William Bristow – A Champion of the Poor of Belfast
The Rev William Bristow is largely forgotten today but his efforts to improve the lives of the Belfast’s poor deserve to be remembered.
Stories
July 1875 News – Duels, Corsets and a Giant Octopus
What was being reported in our local newspapers 150 years ago? Read some of the news & stories of July1875
Historical Places
York Street – The Co-Op, the Metropole, the Blitz and Regeneration
York Street – Once “Belfast’s Noblest Street” with a history of commercial success, Blitz devastation , decline and, lately, regeneration
True Stories
June 1875 News – A Water Works Tragedy and Jack-Knock-it-out
What was being reported in our local newspapers 150 years ago? Read some of the news & stories of June 1875
Forgotten Folk
William Steel Dickson – Confinement and Exile
In his fight for reform and equality William Steel Dickson lost friends, his position in life and his reputation in the Presbyterian church.