On Donegall Square, Belfast City Hall sprawls like an Edwardian “wedding cake” of Portland stone and copper—grand, symmetrical, and impossible to miss. Designed by Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas, construction began in 1898 and finished in 1906, crowning the city’s new status as a bustling industrial capital.
City Hall replaced the old White Linen Hall and signalled civic confidence during Belfast’s boom years. It has witnessed everything from royal visits to wartime blackouts and post-conflict celebrations. A major restoration closed the building in 2007–2009, renewing services and interiors (about £10.5 m across phases), before reopening to the public with refreshed tours and galleries.
Out on the lawns, memorials trace the city’s story: the Cenotaph to WWI dead and the Titanic Memorial Garden—opened on 15 April 2012—whose bronze plaques uniquely list all 1,512 victims of the disaster.
Quick Facts:
- Architect & style: Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas, Baroque Revival/Edwardian grandeur.
- Built: 1898–1906; cost: ~£360–369k (then).
- Dome: ~173–174 ft (53 m), copper-clad; corner towers on all four sides.
- Materials: Portland stone exterior; rich marbles inside.
- Today: HQ of Belfast City Council; free public exhibition, tours, and café (“The Bobbin”).
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