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Jaffe Memorial

The iron fountain was a memorial to Daniel Joseph Jaffe erected by his son Offo Jaffe in 1874. Daniel Jaffe was a German industrialist who founded the linen exporters of Jaffe Brothers of Hamburg, Dundee, Belfast, Liepzig and Paris. He…

Custom House steps

The steps of the Custom House became the an unofficial ‘speakers corner’ of Belfast. They became a location where religious, political and trade union speakers would speak, preach and lecture to open air crowds.[1] The Custom House was built in…

The Jewish community in Belfast

The first Jew recorded living in Belfast was a Manuel Lightfoot, a tailor, who was resident in the city in 1652. Jewish immigration into the city started in the mid-19th century. Daniel Jaffe and his brothers were among the first…

The 1919 Belfast Engineering Strike or General Strike

This strike is often known as the ‘engineering’ strike but is better described as a ‘general strike’ as around 60,000 of the city’s workers took industrial action. It is cited by labour historian John Gray as the most ‘formidable’ strike…

Clifton Street Orange Hall

The Belfast Orange Hall in Clifton Street was opened in January 1885. The figure of King William on his horse was added to the top of the building in 1889. From the tip of King Billy’s sword to the ground…