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 populous city on the island of 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. Local firms H&J Martin and WH Stephens were among the
companies involved in construction.
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 exterior is built mainly from Portland stone and is in the
Classical Renaissance 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 173ft brass 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 interior has a number of notable features including The
Porte-Cochère and Grand Entrance, The Grand Staircase, The
Reception Room and The Great Hall. The latter was destroyed during
the Belfast blitz and subsequently rebuilt. Carrara, Pavonazzo and
Brescia marbles are used extensively throughout the building as are
stained glass windows featuring among others the Belfast Coat of
Arms, portraits of Queen Victoria and King William III and shields
of the Provinces of Ireland.
The gardens surrounding the City Hall are a popular with office
workers taking their lunch in the summer months, as well as
tourists and teenagers gathering in their dozens to enjoy the
green.
Various statues stand in the grounds, including one of Queen
Victoria by Sir Thomas Brock. There is also a granite column
dedicated to the American Expeditionary Force, many of whom were
based in Belfast prior to D-Day. Brock also designed the marble
figure of Thane, in memorial to the victims of the sinking of the
RMS Titanic.
On January 3, 2006 Belfast City Councillors ratified a plan to
erect a statue to the late Belfast footballer George Best in the
grounds of the City Hall. Following approval from the Best family,
the George Best Memorial Trust was created in December 2006. The
trust's patron David Healy contributed £1,000 to the estimated
total cost of £200,000.
In October 2007 a 60m observation wheel was constructed in the
grounds, giving passengers panoramic views 200ft above the city.
The wheel has 42 air-conditioned capsules, which can hold up to six
adults and two children. It is due to remain until March 2008.
(Wikipedia)
THE CACHE is a nano cache placed outside of the City
Hall. Please use the utmost discretion when retrieving and
replacing the cache as the area is always busy with muggles. There
are seats nearby where you can sit to write the log. You'll need
your own pen and please just initial the log
as it's so tiny.
ALSO, IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO USE THE CLUE TO MAKE FOR A QUICK
FIND AND AVOID AS MUCH MUGGLE ATTENTION AS POSSIBLE