The Whitla Hall, Queen’s University Belfast

The Whitla Hall was opened in 1949 and was named after Sir William Whitla Hall. It is a meeting hall and lecture theatre at Queen’s University Belfast. Whitla was a prominent Belfast doctor, lecturer, MP for the University and Methodist.…

Union Theological College

Union Theological College is the theological and ministerial training college for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. It was founded in 1853 and built in a Renaissance Revival style with a grand Doric porch and Baroque attic. The building was designed…

The SSE Odyssey

The SSE Arena, Belfast is owned by the Odyssey Trust Company (SSE Odyssey to left of image below).  The complex originated in 1992 and opened in December 2000. The complex consists of: a multipurpose arena, science centre and shopping centre.…

QUB’s Coats of Arms

The University started life in 1845 as the Queen’s College, Belfast and opened its doors to students in 1849. At its opening, it had 23 professors and 195 students. It was established to provide higher education for Catholics and Presbyterians…

Queen’s University Belfast War Memorial

This memorial commemorates the employees and students of Queen’s University Belfast who were killed or missing in World War I (253 names) and World War II (155 names). It is located in front of the Lanyon Building at Queen’s University…

The Queen Film Theatre

The Queen’s Film Theatre (QFT) is an independent cinema in University Street, opposite Queen’s University Belfast. It was founded in 1968 and now is an important venue for events such as the Belfast Festival at Queen’s, the Belfast Film Festival…

Peace Walls

The peace lines or peace walls are a series of separation barriers in Northern Ireland that keep apart predominantly republican and nationalist Catholic neighbourhoods from mostly loyalist and unionist Protestant neighbourhoods. Although temporary peace walls were built in Belfast in…

Palm House, Botanic Gardens

The Palm House is a greenhouse located in Botanic Gardens. It is one of the oldest examples of curvilinear iron and glass structures still surviving in the world. It was built by Richard Turner of the Hammersmith in Dublin in…

Lagan Weir

Prior to the building of the weir, the river Lagan was tidal and low tide would expose mudflats, which were unsightly and emitted a strong smell, particularly in the summer months. It was built in 1994 and contains a footbridge.…

Emma Duffin memorial

On the 2017 commemoration of International Women’s Day, the Ulster History Circle unveiled a blue plaque for Emma Duffin at her former University Square home in south Belfast. Duffin was best known for her work as a nurse and was…