Category: Attractions

As make-overs go, this £17m, three-year revamp of one of the city’s most beloved landmarks is a real stunner. Once inside the curious hybrid of 1960s concrete and neo-classical architecture, a gleaming 23m high atrium reveals glimpses into three specially created Zones covering four levels.
As you navigate the glass and steel walkways, keep an eye on the equally grand-scale Window on Our World gallery where iconic objects from each Zone – including a 6m long Edmontosaurus dinosaur skeleton – further fuel the imagination.
Then spend the day exploring those History, Art and Nature Zones, where a bona fide Egyptian mummy, dazzling collection of Spanish Armada gold and Peter the Polar Bear (don’t worry, it’s stuffed) are among the myriad of unmissable attractions

Located at the Queen’s Yard more colloquially known as the Main Yard, are the twin slipways of the Titanic and Olympic White Star passenger liners.
Initiated by Titanic Quarter Ltd,Titanic Quarter Ltd’s the consultations with the Environment & Heritage Service led to the statutory scheduling of both slipways and the adjacent waterways in the Victoria Channel into which the White Star liners were launched. The slipways with the city dominant Arrol Gantry cranes remained in use until the 1960’s.

Stormont Castle was built in 1858 in baronial style, complete with turrets, battlements and conical caps. Its flamboyant exterior is said to have inspired that of Scotland’s Balmoral Castle. After surviving demolition plans in 1921, the Castle became the official residence of the NI Prime Minister and, in today’s devolved NI Assemby, houses the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. The building is not accessible by the general public (except during Sept’s Heritage Open Days). Still, it’s nice to admire from behind the security barrier.

As the only full-time producing theatre in Northern Ireland, the Lyric makes a unique and vital contribution to the community. Its mission is to produce high-quality professional theatre that is alive to the complex cultural experience and diverse traditions of the community, and to use the unique power of live theatre to empower, inspire, engage and educate.After an extensive capital build project the Lyric Theatre is almost three times the size of the old theatre, the theatre has three distinct areas. The 389 seat Northern Bank Stage is the main performance area, providing an extra 85 seats in a single steep rake. The intimacy of the old theatre remains as the body of the audience is not broken by balconies or barriers ensuring actors and audience share the same space. A second performance studio accommodates between 110 and 172 people, can be adapted to suit any performance style and will explore experimental work as well as reimagining classic plays and developing the skills of local artists. The third space is a rehearsal room the same size as the main auditorium stage.Other facilities include an education suite, dressing rooms, board room, cafe/bar and river terrace, and a range of corporate entertaining suites overlooking the Lagan and Botanic Gardens.
For more information, news and to find out what’s on at the Lyric visit:
http://lyrictheatre.co.uk

The earlies building (east front) was designed in 1854 by the Board engineer George Smith with a clock tower to regulate sailings. The second phase in 1895 (Corporation Square) contains the splendid public rooms; the modern office block was added in 1970.
The headquarters of the Harbour Commissioners, responsible for overseeing the development and running of Belfast Port, has on show the magnificent captain’s table and chairs which Gilbert Logan designed for Titanic, but which were delivered just too late (it is said they were subsequently shipped to Southampton, just in time to see Titanic disappear on the horizon). Lord Pirrie, himself a Harbour Commissioner, would have been a frequent, and persuasive, presence in the boardroom. Nearby, are two restored graving docks used by William Ritchie, Belfast’s first major shipbuilder.