''Titanic'' Belfast is a visitor attraction opened in 2012, a monument to
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
's maritime heritage on the site of the former
Harland & Wolff
Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the Wh ...
shipyard in the city's
Titanic Quarter
Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a large-scale waterfront regeneration, comprising historic maritime landmarks, film studios, education facilities, apartments, a riverside entertainment district, and the world's largest Titanic ...
where the
RMS ''Titanic'' was built. It tells the stories of the ''Titanic'', which hit an iceberg and
sank during her maiden voyage in 1912, and her
sister ships
A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
RMS ''Olympic'' and
HMHS ''Britannic''. The building contains more than of floor space, most of which is occupied by a series of galleries, private function rooms and community facilities.
Titanic Belfast is owned by th
Maritime Belfast Trustand commercially operated by Titanic Belfast Limited under a 25-year operator agreement which commenced in 2011.
History
![Opening Day, Titanic Belfast, 31 March 2012 (81)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Opening_Day%2C_Titanic_Belfast%2C_31_March_2012_%2881%29.JPG)
The building is located on Queen's Island, an area of land at the entrance of
Belfast Lough
Belfast Lough is a large, intertidal sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland. At its head is the city and port of Belfast, which sits at the mouth of the River Lagan. The lough opens into the North Channel and connects Belfast to th ...
which was reclaimed from the water in the mid-19th century. It was used for many years by the shipbuilders Harland and Wolff, who built huge slipways and
graving dock
A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
s to accommodate the simultaneous construction of the ''
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
'' and ''
Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...
''. The decline of shipbuilding in Belfast left much of the area derelict. Most of the disused structures on the island were demolished. A number of heritage features were given
listed status, including the ''Olympic'' and ''Titanic'' slipways and graving docks, as well as the iconic
Samson and Goliath cranes.
The derelict land was renamed the "
Titanic Quarter
Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a large-scale waterfront regeneration, comprising historic maritime landmarks, film studios, education facilities, apartments, a riverside entertainment district, and the world's largest Titanic ...
" in 2001 and was earmarked for regeneration. Development rights over 185 acres was subsequently bought by Harcourt Developments at a cost of £47 million, with 23 more acres set aside for a science park. The redevelopment plans included houses, hotels and entertainment amenities plus a maritime heritage museum and science centre. In 2005, plans were announced to build a museum dedicated to ''Titanic'' to attract tourists to the area, with the aim of completing it by 2012 to mark the centenary of ''Titanic''s maiden voyage and
sinking.
A number of ideas were put forward for the attraction. Among ideas considered were reconstructing the massive
Arrol Gantry
The Arrol Gantry was a large steel structure built by Sir William Arrol & Co. at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland. It was built to act as overhead cranes for the building of the three ''Olympic''-class liners.
Beardmore's gan ...
in which ''Titanic'' and ''Olympic'' were constructed, or building an illuminated wire frame outline of ''Titanic'' in the dock in which she was fitted out. In June 2008, details of a project – known then as the "''Titanic'' Signature Project" – were announced. Northern Ireland's
Tourism Minister The Minister of Tourism is the head of the governmental department that specializes in tourism, recreation and/or culture.
The position exists in many different countries under several names:
*Ministry of Tourism and Environment (Albania)
* Minist ...
,
Arlene Foster, announced that the
Northern Ireland Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive is the devolved government of Northern Ireland, an administrative branch of the legislature – the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is answerable to the assembly and was initially established according to the ter ...
would provide 50 per cent of the attraction's funding through the
Northern Ireland Tourist Board
Tourism Northern Ireland, also known as Tourism NI, is a non-departmental public body of the Department for the Economy. Its primary objective is to promote Northern Ireland as a tourist destination to domestic tourists, from within Northern Irela ...
, with the remaining 50 per cent coming from the private sector, in the shape of Titanic Quarter Ltd, a sister company of Harcourt Developments, and the Belfast Harbour Commissioners. Additional funding was pledged by
Belfast City Council
Belfast City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhéal Feirste) is the local authority with responsibility for part of the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of (), the l ...
. The task of creating the visitor attraction was taken on by Harcourt Developments, who enlisted the help of the American architect Eric Kuhne and British exhibition designers
Event Communications
Event Communications, or Event, is one of Europe's longest-established and largest museum and visitor attraction design firms; it is headquartered in London.
History
The firm was founded in 1986 by businesswoman Celestine ("Cel") Phelan and des ...
.
The building, now known as ''Titanic'' Belfast, was expected to attract 425,000 visitors annually, of whom between 130,000 and 165,000 would come from outside Northern Ireland. It is intended to serve a similar transformational function to that of the
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, and located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. The museum was inaugurated on 18 October 1997 by King Juan Carlos I of Sp ...
, designed by
Frank Gehry
Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions.
His works are considered ...
, as a focus for the regeneration of the city. It forms part of the ''Titanic''–related heritage sites in
Titanic Quarter
Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a large-scale waterfront regeneration, comprising historic maritime landmarks, film studios, education facilities, apartments, a riverside entertainment district, and the world's largest Titanic ...
, including the disused headquarters and drawing offices of Harland & Wolff, the
SS ''Nomadic'' – the last surviving
White Star Line
The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...
ship – and Hamilton Dock, ''Titanic''s Dock and Pump house and the ''Titanic'' and ''Olympic'' slipways.
Tourism
First year visitor numbers significantly exceeded projections, with 807,340 visitors passing through its doors, of which 471,702 were from outside Northern Ireland, according to Titanic Belfast. The attraction has also sold 1,376 bottles of champagne and hosted over 350 conferences. In 2015 there were 625,000 visitors.
Titanic Belfast had a record-breaking year in 2017/18 with 841,563 people visiting the tourist attraction and the year before saw the Titanic Museum take home the World's Leading Tourism Attraction Award at the World Travel Awards (2016) In the same year, Titanic Belfast saw 84% of its visitors coming from outside Northern Ireland.
It was the second-most visited tourist attraction in Northern Ireland in 2019 with over 800,000 visitors.
The Titanic visitor centre has received fifteen awards since its opening in 2012. Titanic Belfast has been credited for helping to transform tourism in Northern Ireland for the better over the past few years. The tourist attraction has also welcomed many famous visitors including
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
and the man who discovered the Titanic,
Robert Ballard
Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942) is an American retired Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is most noted for his work in underwater archaeology: maritime archaeology and archaeology of ...
.
Design and construction
Eric Kuhne and Associates were commissioned as concept architects, with Todd Architects appointed as lead consultants. The building's design is intended to reflect Belfast's history of shipmaking and the industrial legacy bequeathed by Harland & Wolff. Its angular form recalls the shape of ships' prows, with its main "prow" angled down the middle of the ''Titanic'' and ''Olympic'' slipways towards the
River Lagan
The River Lagan (; Ulster Scots: ''Lagan Wattèr'') is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs 53.5 miles (86 km) from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. The ...
. Alternatively, it has been suggested that the building looks like the Titanic, and locals have already nicknamed it "The Iceberg". Most of the building's façade is clad in 3,000 individual silver anodised aluminium shards. It stands high, the same height as ''Titanic''s hull.
![Titanic Belfast atrium looking down](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Titanic_Belfast_atrium_looking_down.jpg)
The interior of the eight-storey building provides of space. Its centrepiece is a series of interpretive galleries exploring aspects of the building, design, sinking and legacy of ''Titanic''. On the top floor of the museum is Belfast's largest conference and reception space, the ''Titanic'' Suite, a banqueting facility capable of seating 750 people. A reproduction of the original staircase on the ''Titanic'', made famous by the James Cameron film ''Titanic'' in 1997, is located in this conference centre. The building also provides education, community, retail and restaurant facilities plus a community resource centre.
The construction of the building cost £77 million with an additional £24 million spent on pre-planning, enabling works, underground car park and public realm enhancements. The foundations to the building involved one of the country's largest-ever concrete pours with of concrete delivered by 700 concrete lorries in 24 hours. Harcourt Construction (NI) Ltd oversaw the design and building phase of the project., a subsidiary of Dublin-based property development company Harcourt Developments Ltd.
In front of the building is ''Titanica'', a sculpture by
Rowan Gillespie
Rowan Fergus Meredith Gillespie (born 1953) is an Irish bronze casting sculptor of international renown. Born in Dublin to Irish parents, Gillespie spent his formative years in Cyprus.
From conception to creation, he works alone in his purpose-b ...
depicting a diving female figure. Made of bronze, it is mounted on a brass base, evoking the design of figureheads on ships' prows, and is meant to represent hope and positivity. The figure was dedicated by representatives of the
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
,
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
,
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
and
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
churches on 27 March 2012, a few days before the opening of ''Titanic'' Belfast.
Hickson’s Point
Opened in March 2018, the destination bar aims to resemble an authentic 1900s Belfast pub.
The name of the space is inspired by Robert Hickson, one of the first shipbuilders in Belfast.
The Easter inauguration event included live music from no Tonnta.
Rooms of Museum
''Titanic'' Belfast's exhibition was designed by London-based exhibition designers Event Communications and consists of nine interpretative and interactive galleries, covering the following themes:
![Opening Day, Titanic Belfast, 31 March 2012 (47)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Opening_Day%2C_Titanic_Belfast%2C_31_March_2012_%2847%29.JPG)
* ''Boomtown Belfast'' – the city at the start of the 20th century
The first gallery recreates scenes from Belfast at the time of ''Titanic''s construction in 1909–11. It illustrates the city's major industries before leading through an original set of gates from the Harland and Wolff shipyard into an interactive floor presenting ''Titanic''s construction plans, along with original drawings and scale models of the ship.
* ''The Shipyard'' – a ride aboard a mini-car up and around a replica of ''Titanic''s rudder
The second gallery is dominated by a steel scaffold standing , which alludes to the
Arrol Gantry
The Arrol Gantry was a large steel structure built by Sir William Arrol & Co. at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland. It was built to act as overhead cranes for the building of the three ''Olympic''-class liners.
Beardmore's gan ...
built to aid the construction of ''Titanic'' and ''Olympic''. The actual gantry was four times the height of the gallery's representation.
A lift carries visitors to the top of the gantry, where scenes of shipbuilding are displayed through audio and images. The visit continues on a six-seater car which takes the visitor on a ride through a recreation of a shipyard which moves through a scale replica of ''Titanic''s enormous rudder.
* ''The Launch'' – how ''Titanic'' was launched on 31 May 1911
The Launch gallery portrays scenes from the Spring day when ''Titanic'' was launched into Belfast Lough, watched by 100,000 people. It overlooks the slipway from which ''Titanic'' was launched and a window enables visitors to see the slipways and docks as they appear now.
* ''The Fit-Out'' – the fitting-out of ''Titanic'' from her launch through to April 1912
The fourth gallery presents a large-scale model of ''Titanic'' to illustrate how the ship appeared to its
passengers
A passenger (also abbreviated as pax) is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The ...
and
crew
A crew is a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard. The word has nautical resonances: the tasks involve ...
, depicting all three classes of cabins. A central feature in the gallery presents a 360-degree computer-generated tour around ''Titanic'' through all the levels of the vessel, from the engine room to the dining saloons and the bridge.
* ''The Maiden Voyage'' – the journey from Belfast to Southampton, and from there to Cherbourg, Cobh and westwards
The ship's disastrous maiden voyage is depicted in the fifth gallery, which depicts the ship's boat deck. Visitors can walk across the wooden deck, sit on benches or look out at a view across the docks and harbour. The gallery also presents photographs of the ship by the
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
photographer Father
Francis Browne
Francis Patrick Mary Browne, (3 January 1880 – 7 July 1960) was a distinguished Irish Jesuit and a prolific photographer. His best known photographs are those of the RMS ''Titanic'' and its passengers and crew taken shortly before its sin ...
, who was aboard ''Titanic'' for the leg from Southampton to Cobh in southern Ireland.
* ''The Sinking'' – the disaster of 14/15 April 1912
The sixth gallery portrays the sinking of the ''Titanic'' with the background sound of Morse code SOS messages being sent to other ships. Images of the sinking are combined with audio of survivors telling their stories and illustrations of the confused press reporting of the disaster. The iceberg is evoked by a wall of 400 replica life-jackets, on which an image of the sinking ship is projected.
* ''The Aftermath'' – the legacy of the disaster
The aftermath of the sinking is documented in the seventh gallery, which is dominated by a full-size replica of one of the lifeboats used to evacuate passengers from the ship. The American and British inquiries into the disaster are portrayed on either side of the lifeboat through videos and information panels. Visitors can use interactive screens to search the passenger and crew lists to find out if one of their relatives was aboard the ship. The gallery also presents information on the subsequent histories of Harland and Wolff and ''Titanic''s sister ships.
* ''Myths & Legends'' – the facts behind some of the stories about the ''Titanic''
The disaster gave rise to numerous
legends and myths, perpetuated through films, plays, books and poems. With
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
's song ''
My Heart Will Go On
"My Heart Will Go On" is a 1997 song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion. The song serves as the main theme to James Cameron's blockbuster film ''Titanic'', based on an account of the transatlantic ocean liner of the same name which san ...
'' playing in the background, visitors are able to explore aspects of the
popular culture inspired by ''Titanic''. Interactive screens also enable the visitor to explore myths about the ship.
* ''Titanic Beneath'' – about the
wreck of the ''Titanic'' and its rediscovery
The last gallery presents ''Titanic'' as she is now, below the surface of the North Atlantic. Presented in conjunction with the discoverer of the
wreck of ''Titanic'', Dr
Robert Ballard
Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942) is an American retired Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is most noted for his work in underwater archaeology: maritime archaeology and archaeology of ...
, the gallery illustrates his expeditions to the ship through footage, audio and images. A fish-eye view of the wreck is set under the glass floor. Below the floor is the Ocean Exploration Centre, ''Titanic'' Belfast's principal educational facility, which shows marine biology and exploration in Northern Ireland's coastal waters as well as Ballard's various expeditions around the world.
Planned purchase of artifacts
In late August 2018, several groups were vying for the right to purchase the 5,500
RMS Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...
relics that were an asset of the bankrupt
Premier Exhibitions
Premier Exhibitions Inc is an Atlanta, Georgia-based company that organizes travelling exhibitions. , the company owned 5,500 ''Titanic'' relics with approximately 1,300 on display in various countries.
Its two most prominent exhibits are artif ...
.
Eventually, Titanic Belfast, Titanic Foundation Limited and the
National Museums Northern Ireland
National Museums Northern Ireland (NMNI) (formerly ''National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland'') is a museum service in Northern Ireland, consisting of the Ulster American Folk Park, the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and the Ulster M ...
joined with the
National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the United ...
in
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
as a consortium that was raising money to purchase the 5,500 artefacts. The group intended to keep all of the items together as a single exhibit. Oceanographer Robert Ballard said he favoured this group since it would ensure that the memorabilia would be permanently displayed in Belfast (where the Titanic was built) and in Greenwich.
The museums were critical of the bid process set by the Bankruptcy court in Jacksonville, Florida. The minimum bid for the 11 October 2018 auction was set at US$21.5 million (£16.5m) and the consortium did not have enough funding to meet that amount.
Footnotes
References
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External links
Mark Muir - Replica Staircase Design''Titanic'' Belfast official websiteBBC News – ''Titanic'' Belfast: Will it rival Disneyland, Tate Modern and the Guggenheim?Inside ''Titanic'' Belfast BBC News 14 March 2012
Climb The Titanic - The RIBA Journal
{{authority control
Infrastructure completed in 2012
Buildings and structures in Belfast
Exhibition and conference centres in Northern Ireland
Maritime museums in Northern Ireland
Museums in Belfast
Maritime museums in the United Kingdom
RMS Titanic
Tourist attractions in Belfast