Titanic Belfast
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''Titanic'' Belfast is a visitor attraction in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, which opened in 2012. A monument to
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
's maritime heritage on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard in the city's Titanic Quarter where the was built. It tells the stories of the ''Titanic'', which hit an iceberg and sank during her maiden voyage in 1912, and her sister ships and . The building contains more than of floor space, most of which is occupied by a series of galleries, private function rooms and community facilities. ''Titanic'' Belfast is owned by the Maritime Belfast Trust and commercially operated by ''Titanic'' Belfast Limited under a 25-year operator agreement which commenced in 2011.


History

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 the , and the . 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'' ''Titanic'' and Britannic slipways and graving docks, as well as the iconic Samson and Goliath cranes. The derelict land was renamed the " Titanic Quarter" in 2001 and was earmarked for regeneration. Development rights over 185 acres was subsequently bought by Harcourt Developments at a cost of £47 million, with 23 more acres set aside for a science park. The redevelopment plans included houses, hotels and entertainment amenities plus a maritime heritage museum and science centre. 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 2012 to mark the centenary of ''Titanic''s maiden voyage and sinking. Among ideas considered for the attraction were reconstructing the massive Arrol Gantry in which ''Titanic'', ''Olympic'' and Britannic were constructed, or building an illuminated wire frame outline of ''Titanic'' in the dock in which she was fitted out. In June 2008, details of a project  – known then as the "''Titanic'' Signature Project" – were announced. Northern Ireland's Tourism Minister,
Arlene Foster Arlene Isobel Foster, Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (née Kelly; born 17 July 1970), is a British broadcaster and politician from Northern Ireland who is serving as Chair of Intertrade UK since September 2024. She previously served as First ...
, announced that the
Northern Ireland Executive The Northern Ireland Executive (Irish language, Irish: ''Feidhmeannas Thuaisceart Éireann'', Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster Scots: ''Norlin Airlan Executive'') is the devolution, devolved government of Northern Ireland, an administrative branc ...
would provide 50 per cent of the attraction's funding through the
Northern Ireland Tourist Board Tourism Northern Ireland, also known as Tourism NI, is a non-departmental public body of the Department for the Economy. Its primary objective is to promote Northern Ireland as a tourist destination to domestic tourists, from within Northern Ire ...
, with the remaining 50 per cent coming from the private sector, in the shape of Titanic Quarter Ltd (a sister company of Harcourt Developments) and the Belfast Harbour Commissioners. Additional funding was pledged by
Belfast City Council Belfast City Council () is the Local government in Northern Ireland, local authority with responsibility for part of Belfast, the largest city of Northern Ireland. The council serves an estimated population of (), the largest of any district c ...
. The task of creating the visitor attraction was taken on by Harcourt Developments, who enlisted the help of the American architect Eric Kuhne and British exhibition designers
Event Communications Event Communications, or Event, is one of Europe's longest-established and largest museum and visitor attraction design firms; it is headquartered in London. History The firm was founded in 1986 by businesswoman Celestine ("Cel") Phelan and des ...
. The building, now known as ''Titanic'' Belfast, was expected to attract 425,000 visitors annually, of whom between 130,000 and 165,000 would come from outside Northern Ireland. It is intended to serve a similar transformational function to that of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, designed by
Frank Gehry Frank Owen Gehry ( ; ; born February 28, 1929) is a Canadian-American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become attractions. Gehry rose to prominence in th ...
, as a focus for the regeneration of the city. It forms part of the ''Titanic''–related heritage sites in Titanic Quarter, including the disused headquarters and drawing offices of Harland & Wolff, the  – the last surviving
White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping line. Founded out of the remains of a defunct Packet trade, packet company, it gradually grew to become one of the most prominent shipping companies in the world, providing passenger and cargo service ...
ship – and Hamilton Dock, ''Titanic''s Dock and Pump house and the ''Titanic'' ''Olympic'' and Britannic slipways.


Tourism

First year visitor numbers significantly exceeded projections, with 807,340 visitors passing through its doors, of which 471,702 were from outside Northern Ireland, according to Titanic Belfast. The attraction has also sold 1,376 bottles of champagne and hosted over 350 conferences. In 2015, there were 625,000 visitors. Titanic Belfast had a record-breaking year in 2017/18 with 841,563 people visiting the tourist attraction and the year before saw the Titanic Museum take home the World's Leading Tourism Attraction Award at the World Travel Awards (2016). In the same year, Titanic Belfast saw 84% of its visitors coming from outside Northern Ireland. It was the most visited tourist attraction in Northern Ireland in 2023 with over 800,000 visitors. The Titanic visitor centre has received fifteen awards since its opening in 2012. Titanic Belfast has been credited for helping to transform tourism in Northern Ireland for the better over the past few years. The tourist attraction has also welcomed many famous visitors including
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
, the man who discovered the Titanic,
Robert Ballard Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942) is an American retired Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is noted for his work in underwater archaeology (maritime archaeology and archaeology of ...
, and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.


Design and construction

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 The River Lagan (; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster Scots: ''Lagan Wattèr'') is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. The ...
. Most of the building's façade is clad in 3,000 individual silver anodised aluminium shards. It stands high, the same height as ''Titanic''s hull. The interior of the eight-storey building provides of space. 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 ''Titanic'' Suite, a banqueting facility capable of seating 750 people. A reproduction of the original staircase on the ''Titanic'', made famous by the James Cameron film ''Titanic'' in 1997, is located in this conference centre. Project director for interior architects Kay Elliott, Mark Muir proposed that a replica-like Titanic's staircase could be made for the building. The staircase was brought in as a focal point, a stage and a VIP route. There were no drawings of the historic staircase and current accessibility and health and safety standards still had to be satisfied. 10,000 individual parts make up the staircase which weighs nearly four tonnes. The building also provides education, community, retail and restaurant facilities plus a community resource centre.


Structural design

The structural design of the Titanic Belfast building was a complex engineering challenge due to its innovative architecture, including an "inverted" steel frame structure where floor sizes increase with height. The superstructure, composed of a steel frame with composite concrete beams and floors, required careful consideration of stability, especially with the large, unrestrained heights. MasterSeries was utilized in the design of the steel structure, enabling the engineers to model and analyze the unique frame stability issues, particularly where custom steel columns were necessary due to the aesthetic and spatial demands. The building's structural integrity was further enhanced by the integration of slip-form reinforced concrete staircases, which contributed to overall stability.


Construction

The construction of the building cost £77 million with an additional £24 million spent on pre-planning, enabling works, underground car park and public realm enhancements. The foundations to the building involved one of the country's largest-ever concrete pours with of concrete delivered by 700 concrete lorries in 24 hours. Harcourt Construction (NI) Ltd oversaw the design and building phase of the project., a subsidiary of Dublin-based property development company Harcourt Developments Ltd. 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 Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
,
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
,
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
and
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
churches on 27 March 2012, a few days before the opening of ''Titanic'' Belfast.


Hickson's Point

Opened in March 2018, the destination bar aims to resemble an authentic 1900s Belfast pub. The name of the space is inspired by Robert Hickson, one of the first shipbuilders in Belfast. The Easter inauguration event included live music from no Tonnta.


Museum rooms

''Titanic'' Belfast's exhibition was designed by London-based exhibition designers Event Communications and 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 ''Titanic''s 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 ''Titanic''s construction plans, along with original drawings and scale models of the ship. * ''The Shipyard'' – a ride aboard a mini-car up and around a replica of ''Titanic''s rudder The second gallery is dominated by a steel scaffold standing , which alludes to the Arrol Gantry built to aid the construction of ''Titanic'' and ''Olympic''. The actual gantry was four times the height of the gallery's representation. 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 ''Titanic''s enormous rudder. * ''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. * ''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 A crew is a body or a group of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchy, hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard. The word has nautical resonances: the ta ...
, 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. * ''The Maiden Voyage'' – the journey from Belfast to Southampton, and from there to Cherbourg, 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 The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
photographer Father Francis Browne, who was aboard ''Titanic'' for the leg from Southampton to Cobh in southern Ireland. * ''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. * ''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 ''Titanic''s sister ships. * ''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 Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
's song ''
My Heart Will Go On "My Heart Will Go On" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion, used as the theme for the 1997 film '' Titanic''. It was composed by James Horner, with lyrics by Will Jennings, and produced by Horner, Walter Afanasieff and Simon F ...
'' 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. * ''Titanic Beneath'' – about the wreck of the ''Titanic'' and its rediscovery The last gallery presents ''Titanic'' as she is now, below the surface of the North Atlantic. Presented in conjunction with the discoverer of the wreck of ''Titanic'', Dr
Robert Ballard Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942) is an American retired Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is noted for his work in underwater archaeology (maritime archaeology and archaeology of ...
, 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.


Planned purchase of artifacts

In late August 2018, several groups were vying for the right to purchase the 5,500 relics that were an asset of the bankrupt
Premier Exhibitions Premier Exhibitions Inc () is an Atlanta, Georgia-based company that organizes traveling exhibitions. , the company owned 5,500 ''Titanic'' relics with approximately 1,300 on display in various countries. Its two most prominent exhibits are a ...
. Eventually, Titanic Belfast, Titanic Foundation Limited and the National Museums Northern Ireland joined with the
National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the Unit ...
in
Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
as a consortium that was raising money to purchase the 5,500 artefacts. The group intended to keep all of the items together as a single exhibit. Oceanographer Robert Ballard said he favoured this group since it would ensure that the memorabilia would be permanently displayed in Belfast (where the Titanic was built) and in Greenwich. The museums were critical of the bid process set by the Bankruptcy court in Jacksonville, Florida. The minimum bid for the 11 October 2018 auction was set at US$21.5 million (£16.5m) and the consortium did not have enough funding to meet that amount.


See also

* List of tourist attractions in Ireland


Footnotes


References

* * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

*
''Titanic'' Belfast official website

BBC News – ''Titanic'' Belfast: Will it rival Disneyland, Tate Modern and the Guggenheim?

Climb The Titanic – The RIBA Journal
{{authority control Infrastructure completed in 2012 Buildings and structures in Belfast Exhibition and conference centres in Northern Ireland Maritime museums in Northern Ireland Museums in Belfast RMS Titanic museums Tourist attractions in Belfast 21st-century architecture in Northern Ireland