The Big Fish is located in Donegall Quay, a fairly unassuming area of Belfast. Not a dull area by any means; there are a number of high-quality bars and restaurants there, along with the Doll on the Ball/Nuala with the Hula/the Thing with the Ring (take your pick), and of course the fabulous Lagan Boat Company. But it struck me more as a thoroughfare, for drivers heading to work or into town, and for pedestrians making their way to Titanic Quarter. Spend a few minutes here and you’ll see a lot of cars and the odd tourist kissing the Big Fish. Turns out, after a bit of exploring and studying, this area, watched over by Neptune himself, is perhaps the centre of the maritime history of Belfast.
Maritime Belfast as we know it dates back to the 1600s when the city was capitalising on its prime coastal location. The first quay was established along the River Farset, along what is now High Street, and below you can see a brilliant image of a ship docked along the street (published here with kind permission from the Northern Ireland Community Archive).
This passage of goods into the city was made possible by the nearby meeting place of the Lagan and the Farset, creating a direct link between Belfast Lough and the town. When you next find yourself in Donegall Quay, take a moment to think about the maritime significance of this meeting place, which is located right beneath your feet. The Farset has, alas, since been culverted and flows through a large tunnel beneath the ground. There was a recent discussion on Twitter about the possibility of re-opening the Farset. General opinions were that it would be fairly smelly, but that it was absolutely possible and the river could be cleaned up. One individual, local architect James Grieve, quickly offered his below fabulous vision of how High Street could look today (many thanks to James for kindly allowing us to publish the image here). Sadly there are no current plans for this to happen, but we can always hope!
Belfast’s location inevitably gave rise to a shipbuilding industry, one that would go on to define the city, and market it as a global centre of excellence. The first significant yard in Belfast was established in 1791 by William Ritchie, and was a well-placed short walk from the mouth of the Farset (now under Donegall Quay), around Corporation Street, on the County Antrim side of the river. The Lagan, however, which was enabling the industry, was at the same time impeding its growth as its shallow beds allowed only smaller ships to pass.
Perhaps the most important moment in the history of shipping in Belfast, then, was William Dargan’s work in the following century to deepen and straighten the Lagan. As these channels were created, the dredged up land was cast aside, creating what is known today as Titanic Quarter. Peer over the Big Fish towards this reclaimed land and you’ll see the familiar sight of the famous twin cranes, Samson and Goliath. Although not installed until much later, the cranes mark the territory of Harland & Wolff, the ship-building giant born around 20 years after the dredging of the channel, in 1861. The industry boomed, with thanks in part to Harland & Wolff’s contracts with the White Star Line, and rival ship-builders, Workman Clark’s work for the Cunard Line. Together, the two companies at one point produced around one eighth of the world’s shipbuilding products.
With shipbuilding grew other related industries. Across from the Big Fish you’ll see Tedfords restaurant, once home to Tedfords Ship Chandlers, Sail & Tentmakers, and its neighbouring building, the Sail Loft, which is where, of course, the sails were made. We had the opportunity to look around the Sail Loft recently during the Open House Festival. It’s such a fascinating building, with large hooks and nails dotted around the walls and closed in by a low ceiling and sturdy timber beams. The large windows look over the river, which actually used to come right up to these buildings. Tedfords was just one successful ropemaker in Belfast, and the Belfast Ropeworks was once the largest ropemaker in the world.
Harland & Wolff continued to grow and was a major employer in Belfast, at one time employing 30,000 people. There is much to be said about life in the shipyard. By and large, the general consensus, from what I have read, seems to be that Harland & Wolff was a good employer, although the shipyard itself was dangerous. However, things were very different for the skilled and unskilled dock workers, with the unskilled workers receiving less work and experiencing worse conditions. Tensions peaked in 1907, and was the catalyst for the arrival of trade union leader, James Larkin. Across from the Big Fish is Custom House (the building with Neptune on its pediment). Take a walk round the back and you’ll find Speaker’s Corner. It was from these steps that Larkin addressed the workers and led to the formation of a union for the unskilled workers. Over the months that followed, mass labour strikes took place, calling for better pay and conditions, and many meetings were held in Custom House Square. The strikers were largely unsuccessful in their demands, however Larkin went on to create the Irish Transport & General Workers Union shortly after, in 1909. Above you’ll see photos of Transport House, just up the road in Belfast, built for the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers’ Union, which was formed in 1922. The beautiful tiles on the building show the main modes of transport covered by the union, including, of course, boats.
Belfast’s shipbuilding business fluctuated over the next century. Harland & Wolff and Workman Clark were impacted by the Wall Street Crash and the World Wars, and the latter company closed in 1935. The former experienced steep decline in the 1960s, and by 1989 the workforce had reduced to 3,000. With the decline of the shipbuilding industry, there was perhaps no longer a need for the city’s maritime businesses to be so well geographically connected. By the turn of the millennium, Tedfords had moved its rope and sail business to the Gasworks. I would imagine there was a period towards the second half of the twentieth century when the city was losing its identity, with the global stamp it had made in the shipping industry gradually fading. However, by this time, the relevant bodies had already begun to respond to the shifting dynamics of the city, re-focusing its maritime legacy and positioning Belfast as a top coastal tourist destination.
In 1994, the Lagan Weir was completed, which you can see next to the new footbridge. Its purpose is to control the river levels and to clean up the Lagan. In fact, the Big Fish is a tribute to this process, and celebrates the return of salmon to the river and the regeneration of the waterfront areas. The continuing refurbishment of the areas around the river has undoubtedly contributed to an increasing sense of pride in Belfast’s maritime history and illustrious shipbuilding industry; an industry that built the likes of Titanic and the Canberra and so many other great ships, built by the very hands of our grandfathers, great-grandfathers and beyond. And the biggest evidence of this pride is, of course, Titanic Quarter. Just next to the Big Fish you’ll find the Lagan Boat Company. We highly recommend taking one of their tours; it costs £10pp and lasts around 45 minutes. The tour of Titanic Quarter from the water will take you through a history of the industry, all while following the route of the many boats before it that helped build the industry.
There is much more to be said about the maritime history of Belfast, too much for this post. But across the city are many hints to the great importance the industry played in bringing the city to the world stage. The humble Big Fish, with its external tiles detailing the history of Belfast, and its time capsule buried within it for future generations, acts as a promise that Belfast will continue to take pride in its story, past and present. Belfast is so well-positioned on the coast that its maritime legacy will continue to develop and respond to the changing times. Already, Harland & Wolff is active in the renewable energy sector, tourism is booming, and there are plans for the Sail Loft to become part of the city’s burgeoning restaurant scene.
However, as we (rightly) get swept up in the excitement of our increasingly confident city, it is perhaps worth stopping briefly to respectfully reflect on the loss of the once great shipbuilding industry. As you move away from the twinkling lights of the Donegall Quay, with its views over the success that is Titanic Quarter, and head towards Clarendon Dock, you’ll find yourself in perhaps one of the grimmest areas of Belfast. In a carpark under the motorway, opposite a fantastic skate park, there is a poignant art installation by Peter Rooney, entitled ‘Wheels of Progress’, which explores migration. A number of rear view mirrors with images of Belfast past, and a rather moving poem about Sailortown, and its many former residents who have since moved on, hints at what is to come on our coastal journey. Sailortown was once a vibrant home to many of the city’s dock workers and passing seafarers, and the industry’s decline has had a huge impact on the area. The remaining residents are today quietly grasping at its fading community and identity. More on Sailortown in our next posts, but we’ll end our short maritime history with Rooney’s tribute to what once was.
Where wander now the souls of Sailortowns lost children,
Now that the tempest has passed.
The salt on my skin tastes of tides and tears
And the sea is calm
Where familiar voices hold me in the stillness of time.
The truth will lead us forward
And the Lord holds me in his palm
As the spire in their welcome and farewell
Where wander now those lost souls of Sailortown.
-Rachel
If you’re interested in learning more about the people of the shipyard, I highly recommend ‘Auld Hands’ by Tom Thompson. It’s a very easy read, and a good mix of informative, light-hearted and emotional short stories. This NI Community Archive page contains a wealth of fascinating information on Donegall Quay and other parts of the Lagan. As mentioned above, a lot of work has gone into regenerating the maritime areas, and here is a link to the official Maritime Trail brochure. It has a handy map so you can take a self-guided walking tour. There is also a Lagan Legacy exhibition in the Belfast Barge. Unfortunately the information on the website is incorrect and we found out the hard way that it isn’t open on Sunday or Monday. It is apparently open Tuesday until Saturday, although there was no one there when we arrived on a Saturday. So I’m not sure how worth it the museum is, but it might also be of interest!
Nooks and Crannies of the Irish Coast 