Ballybeen is a large housing development close to our studio location in Dundonald. The majority of people who live there are the decent Protestant working class people of Ulster – my own background. For centuries July has been a special month for them – the annual celebration of victory of William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne, which ushered in the Glorious Revolution, enshrined the Constitutional Monarchy in the British Isles, dethroned the despotic Stuart kings, and guaranteed civil and religious liberty for all.
This old Mill Gate on the Crumlin Road Belfast is a remnant of Belfast’s industrial past, when the flax harvested in the fertile Lagan Valley was woven into the ‘Irish Linen’ cloth so valued by discerning (and wealthy) clients all over the world.
An interesting blend of the old and modern – a derelict factory chimney on the site, with mobile communications equipment attached!
The mountain area protruding to the right of the chimney is known locally as ‘Napoleon’s Nose’ – part of Cave Hill Country Park.
The BBC’s ‘Line of Duty’ police drama is a powerful, compelling drama, watched by (series 5) by over 8 million viewers across the UK, – and shot in and around Belfast. Today, with a few minutes to spare I stopped at one of its favourite locations, TATE’S AVENUE, to make some images of the area.
The best way to burn off one or two of those Christmas Day calories is by taking a good walk on Boxing Day, and on this Boxing Day, 2018, the sun was shining in Belfast, and I was visiting a family in Sydenham, and where better for a walk after my visit than Victoria Park, one of Belfast’s legendary green spaces in the industrial landscape.
Every year the grounds of Belfast City Hall become a Christmas Continental market, selling goods from home and abroad. Here’s a few images from the market:-
On a visit to North Belfast I drove past the old Courthouse on the Crumlin Road, and decided that on my return journey, I stop and make some photographs. The courthouse was, like many old buildings in Belfast, designed by the architect Charles Lanyon and built in 1850. It closed in 1998 when the new court buildings at Laganside were opened, and it has remainded derelict since. Continue reading Crumlin Road Courthouse→
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