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Titanic Belfast

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Titanic Belfast side view

View of the main entrance and sign to Titanic Belfast

Titanic Belfast is a visitor attraction and a monument to Belfast’s maritime heritage on the site of the former Harland and Wolff shipyard in the city's Titanic Quarter. It tells the stories of the ill-fated RMS Titanic, which sank on her maiden voyage in 1912, and her sister ships RMS Olympic and HMHS Britannic. The building contains more than 12,000 square metres (130,000 sq ft) of floor space, most of which is occupied by a series of galleries, plus private function rooms and community facilities.

History[]

Titanic Belfast HDR

Titanic Belfast seen from the front

The building is located on Queen's Island, an area of land at the entrance of Belfast Lough 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 docks to accommodate the simultaneous construction of Olympic and Titanic. 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.[1]

The derelict land was renamed the "Titanic Quarter" in 2001 and was earmarked by Harland & Wolff for redevelopment over a ten-year period.[2] An area of 100 acres was subsequently bought by Fred Olsen at a cost of £46 million,[3] with 23 more acres set aside for a science park. A further 78 acres was sold by Harland & Wolff in 2002 to be used for a new development including houses, hotels and entertainment amenities plus a maritime heritage museum and science centre.[4] 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 2011 to mark the centenary of Titanics launch.[5]

A number of ideas were put forward for the attraction. Among ideas considered were reconstructing the massive steel gantry in which Titanic and Olympic were constructed,[5] or building an illuminated wire frame outline of Titanic in the dock in which she was fitted out.[6] In June 2008, details of the £64 million scheme – known then as "Titanic Dock" – were announced.[7] Northern Ireland's Tourism Minister, Arlene Foster, announced that the Northern Ireland Executive would provide 50 per cent of the attraction's funding through the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, with the remaining 50 per cent coming from the private sector, in the shape of Titanic Quarter Ltd and the Belfast Harbour Commissioners. Additional funding was pledged by Belfast City Council. The task of creating the visitor attraction was taken on by the Titanic Foundation, a charity which aims to "educate people on Belfast's social, historical, industrial and maritime heritage through the story of the Titanic".[8]

The building, now known as Titanic Belfast, is expected to attract 400,000 visitors annually, of whom between 130,000–165,000 would come from outside Northern Ireland. It is intended that it will serve a similar function to that of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, designed by Frank Gehry, as a focus for the regeneration of the city.[8] It forms part of the Titanic Signature Project to regenerate Titanic–related heritage sites in the Titanic Quarter, including the disused headquarters and drawing offices of Harland & Wolff, the SS Nomadic – the last surviving White Star Line ship – and Hamilton Dock, Titanic's dock and pump house and the Titanic and Olympic slipways.[9]

Design and construction[]

Titanic Belfast Titanica

Rowan Gillespie's sculpture Titanica in front of Titanic Belfast

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.[8] (Alternatively, it has been suggested that the building looks like an iceberg, and locals have already nicknamed it "The Iceberg".[10]) Most of the building's façade is clad in 3,000 individual silver anodized aluminium shards.[9] It stands 126 feet (38 m) high, the same height as Titanics hull.[10]

The interior of the eight storey building provides 12,000 square metres (130,000 sq ft) of space.[8] 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 Astor Suite, a banqueting facility capable of seating 750 people. A reproduction of the original staircase on the Titanic ship, made famous by the James Cameron film 'Titanic' in 1997, is located in this conference centre [11]. The location of this staircase has created much controversy with paying visitors as it is not currently part of the exhibition tour. Critics have likened this decision by the Titanic Corporation to be on a par with the class structure that existed on the original voyage in 1912 View Belfast Telegraph article 27 April 2012. The building also provides education, community, retail and restaurant facilities plus a community resource centre.[12]

The construction of the building cost £77 million and involved Ireland's largest-ever concrete pour to create the foundations, with 40,000 cubic metres (1,400,000 cu ft) of concrete delivered by 700 concrete lorries. The Irish developer Harcourt Construction carried out the building phase of the project.[9] It is operated by Harcourt Developments Ltd.[12]

In front of the building is Titanica, a sculpture by Rowan Gillespie 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, Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian churches on 27 March 2012, a few days before the opening of Titanic Belfast.[13]

Exhibition[]

Titanic Belfast atrium looking down

View looking down into the atrium of Titanic Belfast

Titanic Belfast's exhibition consists of nine interpretative and interactive galleries, covering the following themes:

  • Boomtown Belfast – the city at the start of the 20th century

The first gallery recreates scenes from Belfast at the time of Titanics 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 Titanics construction plans, along with original drawings and scale models of the ship.[14]

  • The Shipyard – a ride aboard a mini-car up and around a replica of Titanics rudder

The second gallery is dominated by a steel scaffold standing 20 metres (66 ft), which alludes to the Arrol Gantry built to aid the construction of Titanic and Olympic. 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 Titanics enormous rudder.[14]

  • 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.[14]

  • 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 and crew, 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.[14]

  • The Maiden Voyage – the journey from Belfast to Southampton, and from there to Cherbourg, Queenstown (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 photographer Father Francis Browne, who was aboard Titanic for the leg from Southampton to Queenstown (now Cobh) in southern Ireland.[14]

  • 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.[14]

  • 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 Titanics sister ships.[14]

  • 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's song My Heart Will Go On 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.[14]

The last gallery presents Titanic as she is now, 12,000 feet (3,700 m) below the surface of the North Atlantic. Presented in conjunction with the discoverer of the wreck of Titanic, Dr Robert Ballard, 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.[14]

Footnotes[]

  1. ↑ DOENI Case Study.
  2. ↑ Macalister 6 February 2001.
  3. ↑ The Guardian 8 February 2001.
  4. ↑ Cowan & Gow 13 April 2002.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Arendt 5 May 2005.
  6. ↑ Peterkin 19 October 2005.
  7. ↑ McHugh 19 June 2008.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 McConnell Oct–Nov 2010.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Belfast Telegraph 15 April 2011.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ediss 15 April 2012.
  11. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Staircase_of_the_RMS_Titanic
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 McGonagle 19 April 2011.
  13. ↑ Richardson 27 March 2012.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 14.8 Dougan 2 April 2012.

References[]

  • Ediss, Tina (15 April 2012). "Belfast builds on the legacy of the Titanic". Sunday Express. 
  • McConnell, Turlough (October/November 2010). "Architecture for a New Age". Irish America. 
  • McGonagle, Suzanne (19 April 2011). "Structure aiming to capture spirit of Titanic under way - £97m venue will host 400,000 visitors a year". The Irish News. 
  • McHugh, Michael (19 June 2008). "Titanic Quarter may get ship-shape £64m revamp". Press Association. 
  • "With just one year to go until the Titanic disaster centenary, are Belfast's big projects on course?". Belfast Telegraph. 15 April 2011. 

External links[]


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