Belfast City Hall

Today’s highlight was a tour of Belfast City Hall--something I’ve always wanted to do but saved until I had a visitor.

We were a bit early so I took a photo of mom in front of city hall with a statue of Queen Victoria.

The city hall opened its doors on the first of August 1906, at a time of unprecedented prosperity and industrial might for the city (thanks Wiki). Belfast led the world at various times in the production of linen, rope, ships, whiskey, and cigarettes. So city hall had to reflect its global stature. Here’s the view of the dome with a mural depicting the granting of a charter making Belfast a town.

The chandelier weighs 1.5 tonnes and is made of iron. It was melted down during the war for ammunition. A second one was made after the war using the same mould.

There were three kinds of marble on display, the green was my favourite. We toured the council chambers and sat at a councillor’s desk. Here’s an internet photo:

Point of trivia: the distance between the front benches on either side is the length of two swords, just as in the House of Commons. We also visited the robing room, where councillors’ red and black robes are kept. Mom couldn’t get over the fact that they were handmade in Exeter and worth about 4,000 pounds each ($5,200).
Tonight we had dinner with David and Stuart, who enjoy talking to mom about that strange place, America.
7-3