Victoria Park
Victoria Park, situated in east Belfast, opened in 1906.
One of the park’s biggest attractions is its lake, which was
originally used for boating. Today, it is home to a range of water
birds such as swans, geese, ducks, herons and migrant waders. Some
of the birds that visit Victoria Park have also been recorded in
the Baltic Sea and Scandinavia. Due to its rich variety of
wildlife, the open water in Victoria Park is part of the Belfast
Lough ASSI (Area of Special Scientific Interest) project.
There are also many pleasant walks around the park, with recent
tree planting providing shelter for many small birds. A poetry
trail, which features ten nature-themed poems written by local
primary school pupils and etched onto metal plaques, also provides
a pleasant route around the park. There is also a playground for
children quite close to the car park.
At one end of the park The Connswater River runs into Belfast
Lough and not far from the other end of the park is the George Best
International airport so if you are in the park for a while you
will probably see planes passing low overhead.
Don't forget to bring bread to feed the
ducks!
The Connswater
Long ago the Connswater river was used first by smugglers, and
later by traders to bring in raw materials to the factories and
mills, and to take the finished materials back out. 400 years ago
the river was a wide deep river free of pollution and full of fish
(particularly trout), and with sandy banks, and the only place for
people to cross was up stream at the Conn O’Neill Bridge which
today is still standing, a 400 year old bridge, at the Beersbridge
behind Abetta Parade.
The bridge and the river were named after Conn O’ Neill, the
last of the Ulster Chieftains, who lived at the Grey Castle
(Castlereagh). Conn was by all accounts a bit of a rogue, and one
of his favourite pastimes was to steal and smuggle wine up the
river to the bridge, and then transport it overland on horseback -
back to the Castle where he held wild parties with his clansmen.
The mouth of the river at this time was at a wide sandy bay, most
likely around the area of what is now Victoria Park, Belfast.
In the mid 1600s, the De Beer’s family built a corn mill beside
the river and ran the mill on a water wheel. This site is the
oldest standing building in Ballymacarrett, now called the Owen
O’Cork Mill at Beersbridge Road. The 1850’s brought with it the
industrial revolution and the need for cotton production to be
increased. So the mill was enlarged to increase the production and
with the building and opening of the lagan canal led to raw
materials like flax being brought by barge down to Belfast and up
the Connswater to the Mill. The river was also used to bring in
Jute, the raw material for rope and take the finished rope by barge
back onto the Queens Island.
There were also two other companies who used the river to bring
in barley and other raw materials for the making of Irish whiskey.
These were the Avoniel and Connswater Distillerys, who between them
produced over 4 million gallons of whiskey a year.
The Connswater Community Greenway
The Connswater Community Greenway is a £32 million investment in
East Belfast. The project has been developed by the East Belfast
Partnership and is funded by the Big Lottery Fund, Belfast City
Council and the Department for Social Development.
The Connswater Community Greenway will create a 9km linear park
through East Belfast, following the course of the Connswater, Knock
and Loop Rivers, connecting several open and green spaces and
remediating the Connswater River itself. The Greenway will
reconnect the communities of East Belfast and restore the rivers as
community assests. It will create vibrant, attractive, safe and
accessible parkland for leisure, recreation and community events
and activities.
It will provide immediate benefit to the 40,000 people living in
the wards adjacent to the river. Specifically, the Connswater
Community Greenway will directly improve the living environment,
reinstating a valuable amenity for local people and provide
opportunities for improving health and well being. The Project will
act as a catalyst for physical and economic development and improve
access and connections for local communities to open spaces.
There are a number of open spaces along the course of the river
which are underused because they are inaccessible, unsafe and
unconnected to the communities in their hinterland. These people
have turned their back on the river which is currently dirty and
smelly and inhibits positive uses. This Project will deliver
benefits from the Castlereagh Hills to Belfast Lough and beyond,
turning a seriously underused, and at intervals, blight on the
landscape into a community asset that will become an immediate
living landmark.
The "Victoria Park - Ants in my Pants" cache
The cache is at the top of a short grassy slope. From here you
should have a good view of Cave Hill (if the weather is fair). The
cache itself is a small tab lock box containing a log book, a
pencil and a few creepy crawlies.
Please be discreet when searching for and replacing the cache as
this is a busy park. You might like to have a seat on the nearby
bench while signing the log.
