The Belfast Buildings Trust (BBT), founded in 1996 as the Belfast Buildings Preservation Trust, is a cross-community

building preservation trust A Building Preservation Trust (BPT) is an organisation whose main aims include the preservation and regeneration of historic buildings.

with

charitable status A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

that delivers physical, social, and economic regeneration through the reuse of landmark buildings in

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 Kingdom ...

, Northern Ireland. Each building rescued by the trust seeks to regenerate the community it serves in a variety of ways, from traditional skills promotion to job creation and engendering a sense of civic pride. The BBT's work demonstrates what can be achieved through vision, determination and community energy. It is committed to restoring to Belfast those buildings that make it special, and which are landmarks in the heart of the city's communities. The current chairman is John Marshall BEM, retired registrar at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. The founding chair, Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle CBE DL, with a background in public affairs, has extensive experience of regeneration projects having been a trustee of a number of regeneration charities, including the Prince's Regeneration Trust.

Completed projects

The BBT has completed three regeneration projects: St Patrick's School, Donegall Street; Christ Church, College Square North; and The Gate Lodge at the former Good Shepherd Convent on

Ormeau Road Ormeau Road is a road in south Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Ormeau Park is adjacent to it. It forms part of the A24. History The road, as currently laid out, dates from the first decades of the 19th century when a bridge was buil ...

, which now serves as the trust's headquarters.

St Patrick's National School (1828)

St Patrick's was built by

Newry Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Armagh, Armagh and County Down, Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011. Newry ...

born architect Timothy Hevey on land donated by the

Marquess of Donegall Marquess of Donegall is a title in the Peerage of Ireland held by the head of the Chichester family, originally from Devon, England. Sir John Chichester sat as a Member of Parliament and was High Sheriff of Devon in 1557. One of his sons, Sir ...

for the first

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 ...

national school in the city. It continued to serve the educational needs of the north of the city until it closed in 1982.

Christ Church (1832)

This church, built by the Dublin architect William Farrell suffered a declining congregation and closed in the early 1990s including an arson attack in 1995. With a similar package of funding to St Patrick's School and a partnership with the board of governors of The

Royal Belfast Academical Institution The Royal Belfast Academical Institution is an independent grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the support of Belfast's leading reformers and democrats, it opened its doors in 1814. Until 1849, when it was superseded by what today is ...

the building is now restored as a library and IT centre, with extensive community use. The building was opened by

the Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers o ...

in 2003 and has won many architectural and regeneration awards. This building in particular is proof of the way in which restored buildings can bridge communities when politicians' words cannot.

The Gate Lodge (1867)

The gate lodge at the former Good Shepherd Convent in south Belfast was built as the home for the convent caretaker. The architects were Sherry and Hughes, with a later extension and alterations in 1895 by JJ McDonnell. It is a gabled -storey lodge, situated adjacent to the key junction of the

and Ravenhill Road. Small as it is, the last family to live in the building numbered eleven, including grandparents, parents and seven children. Long a landmark for both the local community and commuters alike, the building ceased to be a residence in 1974, and lay empty and derelict until the trust agreed a restoration project with the then owners, the

Diocese of Down and Connor The Diocese of Down and Connor, ( ga, Deoise an Dúin agus Chonaire) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of the me ...

, in early 2009. Completed in November of the same year, The Gate Lodge, now remarked upon for its bright red exterior, serves as the offices of the BBT and is once again a much loved landmark for the city.

Future projects

The Belfast Buildings Trust was renamed in November 2012. This was to better reflect that its work focuses on regeneration in its widest sense. The BBT is currently engaged in a number of potential regeneration projects across Belfast. These include the former St. Malachy's School in Sussex Place and Carlisle Memorial Methodist Church. In addition, the trust has been in negotiations with

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 ...

for some years over the possible restoration of the fine Floral Hall at

Belfast Zoo Belfast Zoological Gardens (also known as ''Bellevue Zoo'') is a zoo in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is in a relatively secluded location on the northeastern slope of Cavehill, overlooking Belfast's Antrim Road. Belfast Zoo is one of the to ...

Related projects

BBT has long held an awareness of the need to foster civic responsibility and engagement to help protect and regenerate Belfast's authenticity. To this end, the trust assumed responsibility for the organisation of the Northern Ireland Schools Debating Competition from Belfast Civic Trust some years ago. The trust commissioned and led the creation o
The Belfast Opera
A fifteen month long project to co-create a new opera inspired by the city's confident heritage, the work was shaped by people from the city. The music was composed b
Neil Martin
with a libretto by

Glenn Patterson Glenn Patterson (born 1961) is a writer from Belfast, best known as a novelist. Biography Patterson was born in Belfast where he attended Methodist College Belfast. He graduated from the University of East Anglia (BA, MA), where he was a produc ...

. The world premiere of 'Long Story Short: The Belfast Opera' took place in Carlisle Memorial Church in June 2016, with a specially created community chorus of 101 Belfast residents singing alongside a professional cast and orchestra. It was directed b
Conor Hanratty
and conducted by David Brophy. It plays an active role in advocacy and lobbying with government departments, fellow preservation trusts and other bodies interested in preservation and regeneration. It is a member of th
Heritage Trust Network

References

External links

* {{Official website Charities based in Northern Ireland 1996 establishments in Northern Ireland Building Preservation Trusts