HomeStatues and monuments
The grounds of Belfast City Hall are packed with famous monuments and statues,
detailing the history of both the building and Belfast.Some of the memorials include:
Korean Memorial
This granite memorial is for the 208 officers and men of the Royal Ulster Rifles killed or wounded at the Battle of Chaegunghyon on 3 January 1951 during the Korean War.It was relocated from St Patrick's Barracks in Ballymena to the Cenotaph at Belfast City Hall in May 2008. It was originally erected near the South Korean capital, Seoul, but was brought to Northern Ireland in 1962.
Titanic Memorial
Moved to its current location on 24 March 1960, this memorial was originally unveiled on 26 June 1920 in Donegall Square North.It is the work of acclaimed sculptor Thomas Brock who died two years after its unveiling.
The Belfast-built RMS Titanic, part of the White Star Line, sank on 15 April 1912. In the memorial, the female figure of Thane looks down upon two sea nymphs as they rise from the waves with the body of a drowned seaman in their arms.
The names of the dead include the ship's designer Thomas Andrews and doctor John Simpson.
Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria succeeded King William IV on 20 June 1837 and her coronation took place a year later.The memorial was erected to celebrate the monarch's jubilee and was paid for by public shilling subscription. It was built by Thomas Brock and unveiled by King Edward VII on 27 July 1903.
The Sicilian marble statue is 11 feet high. On each side are two life-size bronze figures which represent spinning and shipbuilding respectively. At the back is a bronze figure of a child, thought to represent education.
Sir Edward Harland
A memorial to Sir Edward J Harland Bart MP, the former head of Harland and Wolff shipbuilding yard and Mayor of Belfast from 1885 to 1886, was unveiled on 23 June 1903 by the Earl of Glasgow.It was also sculpted by Thomas Brock.
Belfast War Memorial (Cenotaph)
The Belfast War Memorial is in the form of a cenotaph with the background of a colonnade.The memorial was unveiled by Field Marshall Viscount Allenby on Armistice Day, 11 November 1929. It was designed by Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas and constructed by WJ Campbell between 1925 and 1927.
The colonnade consists of a Greek order of columns on a stylobate with an enriched cornice and balustrade.
Council staff memorial
A memorial, dedicated to those employees of Belfast City Council who lost their lives during the 'Troubles', was installed during the £11 million refurbishment of City Hall in 2009.The memorial takes the form of a fountain, in the City Hall courtyard, and was the idea of a council employee who put it forward as part of a staff suggestion scheme.
The fountain was designed by the landscape architects from our Parks Unit, in conjunction with trade union representatives, and is complemented by five hornbeam trees which were also planted in the courtyard.
Around 30 council employees were killed between the years 1969 and 1999, most of them as they went about their daily jobs.
