St George's Market
Encyclopedia
St George's Market is the last surviving Victorian
covered market
in Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. It is located on May Street, close to the River Lagan
and the Waterfront Hall
. Belfast Corporation (now Belfast City Council
) commissioned the building of St George’s Market, which was built in three phases between 1890 and 1896. Before 1890 St George's Market was an open market and most likely contained a slaughterhouse
and a meat market.
(responsible for the new Albert Bridge
following its collapse in the 1880s) JC Bretland designed the building. It was built in red brick with sandstone
dressing. Externally it features Roman
styled arches with Latin and Irish inscriptions - the City’s Latin motto "Pro Tanto Quid Retribuamus", meaning "what shall we give in return for so much?" and the Irish phrase "Lámh Dearg na hÉireann", "Red Hand of Ireland". The main entrance arch displays the Belfast Coat of Arms. This newly covered market opened to the public on 20 June 1890.
by German aircraft in World War II
, St George’s Market was used as an emergency mortuary. Approximately 700 were killed during the bombing raids; 255 bodies were brought to St George’s Market in an attempt to identify them. Not all of the bodies were identified, so a public funeral
for the unclaimed dead took place on 21 April 1941. There were separate Catholic
and Protestant services held at the market and thousands of people lined the streets as the procession passed on its way to the Milltown and City cemeteries.
regulations, among other issues, and Belfast City Council decided to source other uses for the listed building. A campaign backed by the City Council, traders and the general public resulted in a Heritage Lottery Fund
-backed £3.5 million refurbishment programme assisted by the Environment and Heritage Agency. Brick and stonework that had badly deteriorated was returned to good condition, and special bricks were produced in England
to match the original unusually sized bricks. The fully renovated St George’s Market reopened its doors on 14 May 1999.
St George’s Market is primarily used as a market, however a number of other events are held at the site. These range from food festivals, art initiatives, exhibitions, charity launches, fashion shoots and live music events. Local software company Northbrook Technology
hold their annual Staff Christmas Party at the venue.
The market has won a number of recent awards, including being voted as one of the UK's top five markets by the National Association of British Market Authorities in 2006, and winning third place in the best markets category of the Observer
Food Monthly/Waitrose
Awards in 2004. The market has also been praised as a place that transcends the divide between Belfast's communities, and where immigrant groups can feel safe, in contrast to other areas of the city where racist
attacks are not uncommon.
concert
s. Acts including Duffy
, Newton Faulkner
, Biffy Clyro
and Mark Ronson
have played the venue.
performed in a concert about the History of Belfast. It gave people an insight on life during the second world war and the troubles. The children from Elmgrove Primary worked with Elderly people from near-by homes; Elmgrove Manor and Greenville Court on the 3 month project. Writer Ruth Carr, Rastafarian poet Levi Tafari
, print maker Robin Cordiner, musicians Nikki Such, Patrick and Bronagh Davey and Irish, Greek and Indian dancers worked with the children and their older counterparts in discovering new ways of looking at themes of cultural diversity, memory and the Irish Famine.'I am staggered by the range and the quality of what has been produced this evening,' said school principal David Hutchinson. 'The children have acquired so many new skills by working with this terrific company and, through them, all of our minds have been opened.'
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
covered market
Marketplace
A marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...
in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It is located on May Street, close to the River Lagan
River Lagan
The River Lagan is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs 40 miles from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. The River Lagan forms much of the border between County Antrim and County Down. It rises as a tiny fast...
and the Waterfront Hall
Waterfront Hall
The Waterfront Hall is a multi-purpose facility, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. Practice partner Peter McGukin was the project architect....
. Belfast Corporation (now Belfast City Council
Belfast City Council
Belfast City Council is the local authority with responsibility for the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of , the largest of any district council in Northern Ireland, while also being the fourth smallest by area...
) commissioned the building of St George’s Market, which was built in three phases between 1890 and 1896. Before 1890 St George's Market was an open market and most likely contained a slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
and a meat market.
The original market
The original (pre 1890) market was smaller than the new structure. The city surveyorSurveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
(responsible for the new Albert Bridge
Albert Bridge, Belfast
The Albert Bridge is a bridge in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It spans the River Lagan and is one of eight bridges in the city. It was completed in 1890 by Belfast city surveyor J C Bretland after two arches of the previous bridge suddenly collapsed in 1886...
following its collapse in the 1880s) JC Bretland designed the building. It was built in red brick with sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
dressing. Externally it features Roman
Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted certain aspects of Ancient Greek architecture, creating a new architectural style. The Romans were indebted to their Etruscan neighbors and forefathers who supplied them with a wealth of knowledge essential for future architectural solutions, such as hydraulics...
styled arches with Latin and Irish inscriptions - the City’s Latin motto "Pro Tanto Quid Retribuamus", meaning "what shall we give in return for so much?" and the Irish phrase "Lámh Dearg na hÉireann", "Red Hand of Ireland". The main entrance arch displays the Belfast Coat of Arms. This newly covered market opened to the public on 20 June 1890.
World War II
After heavy bombing of BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
by German aircraft in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, St George’s Market was used as an emergency mortuary. Approximately 700 were killed during the bombing raids; 255 bodies were brought to St George’s Market in an attempt to identify them. Not all of the bodies were identified, so a public funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
for the unclaimed dead took place on 21 April 1941. There were separate Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
and Protestant services held at the market and thousands of people lined the streets as the procession passed on its way to the Milltown and City cemeteries.
Since 1980
By the 1980s St George’s Market had developed into a general market and it became the last of Belfast’s thriving Victorian markets. The market was pressured with increased maintaince costs and changes to hygieneHygiene
Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
regulations, among other issues, and Belfast City Council decided to source other uses for the listed building. A campaign backed by the City Council, traders and the general public resulted in a Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
-backed £3.5 million refurbishment programme assisted by the Environment and Heritage Agency. Brick and stonework that had badly deteriorated was returned to good condition, and special bricks were produced in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to match the original unusually sized bricks. The fully renovated St George’s Market reopened its doors on 14 May 1999.
St George’s Market is primarily used as a market, however a number of other events are held at the site. These range from food festivals, art initiatives, exhibitions, charity launches, fashion shoots and live music events. Local software company Northbrook Technology
Northbrook Technology
Allstate NI is a company based in Belfast, Derry and Strabane in Northern Ireland. The company was previously known as Northbrook Technology. As of May 7, 2008, Northbrook Technology was renamed to Allstate Northern Ireland....
hold their annual Staff Christmas Party at the venue.
The market has won a number of recent awards, including being voted as one of the UK's top five markets by the National Association of British Market Authorities in 2006, and winning third place in the best markets category of the Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
Food Monthly/Waitrose
Waitrose
Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...
Awards in 2004. The market has also been praised as a place that transcends the divide between Belfast's communities, and where immigrant groups can feel safe, in contrast to other areas of the city where racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
attacks are not uncommon.
Music venue
The market also regularly holds musicMusic
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s. Acts including Duffy
Duffy (singer)
Aimée Ann Duffy , known as Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her 2008 debut album Rockferry entered the UK Album Chart at number one. It was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 with 1.68 million copies sold...
, Newton Faulkner
Newton Faulkner
Sam Newton Battenberg Faulkner is an English singer-songwriter and musician from Reigate, Surrey. Known for his guitar playing, which involves rhythmically tapping and hitting his guitar's body, Faulkner came to prominence in 2007, with the release of his debut studio album, Hand Built by Robots...
, Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band from Kilmarnock, comprising Simon Neil , James Johnston and Ben Johnston...
and Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....
have played the venue.
Over the Halfpenny Bridge
In April 2009, P7 pupils from Elmgrove Primary SchoolElmgrove Primary School
Elmgrove Primary School is a large Primary School in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It opened in 1932 as Elmgrove Elementary School. In 2008, Elmgrove celebrated it's 75th anniversary. Special medals made from Mambco, were given to all the pupils...
performed in a concert about the History of Belfast. It gave people an insight on life during the second world war and the troubles. The children from Elmgrove Primary worked with Elderly people from near-by homes; Elmgrove Manor and Greenville Court on the 3 month project. Writer Ruth Carr, Rastafarian poet Levi Tafari
Levi Tafari
Levi Tafari was born and raised in the city of Liverpool by his Jamaican parents. He attended catering college, where he studied classical French cuisine and graduated with distinction. In the early 1980s, while working as a caterer, he started attending the Liverpool 8 Writers Workshop and decided...
, print maker Robin Cordiner, musicians Nikki Such, Patrick and Bronagh Davey and Irish, Greek and Indian dancers worked with the children and their older counterparts in discovering new ways of looking at themes of cultural diversity, memory and the Irish Famine.'I am staggered by the range and the quality of what has been produced this evening,' said school principal David Hutchinson. 'The children have acquired so many new skills by working with this terrific company and, through them, all of our minds have been opened.'