City Hall

All our prints are printed on a premium, 170gsm, silk, recycled FSC (Forest Stewardship Commissioned) paper.

Our postcards are printed on a premium, double-sided 350gsm silk-board.

Plans for the City Hall began in 1888 when Belfast was awarded city status by Queen Victoria. This was in recognition of Belfast's rapid expansion and thriving linen, rope-making, shipbuilding and engineering industries. During this period Belfast briefly overtook Dublin as the most populous city in Ireland.

Construction began in 1898 under the supervision of architect Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas and was completed in 1906 at a cost of £369,000 (equivalent to £128m today). The exterior is built mainly from Portland stone and is in the Baroque Revival style. In April 1941 the Great Banqueting Hall fell victim to Nazi bombs that hit the roof. It was rebuilt and restored to its former glory.

Various statues and memorials stand in the grounds, including one of Queen Victoria and a Titanic Memorial. The grounds also house Northern Ireland's main war memorial, the Garden of Remembrance and Cenotaph, at which wreaths are laid on Remembrance Day.