THROUGH THE ARCHIVES: Belfast Corporation decides to move Titanic memorial

From the News Letter, October 15, 1958
A ceremony to mark the 104th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic at the Titanic Memorial in the grounds of the City Hall in Belfast in April 2016. Picture: Jonathan Porter/PressEyeA ceremony to mark the 104th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic at the Titanic Memorial in the grounds of the City Hall in Belfast in April 2016. Picture: Jonathan Porter/PressEye
A ceremony to mark the 104th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic at the Titanic Memorial in the grounds of the City Hall in Belfast in April 2016. Picture: Jonathan Porter/PressEye

The Titanic Memorial, which stood in the centre of the roadway in Donegall Square North, Belfast faced relocation this week in 1958.

The memorial, reported the News Letter, had “been one of the greatest ‘snags’ in the smooth running of the one-way traffic scheme in the area, and city fathers were of the mind to move the memorial to the other side of the road to “facilitate the flow of traffic”.

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At a meeting of Belfast Corporation which was held for the first time since the inauguration of the one-way scheme it had been agreed that the recommendation of moving the memorial should be taken forward.

It was estimated that the cost of moving the memorial to inside the grounds of City Hall on Donegall Square West would cost £1,200.

No decision, added the paper, had been taken in relation to the future of the underground lavatories in Donegall Square North which also constituted a hazard.

Though hinted that “the street-centre entrances to these may eventually be closed up and a pedestrian tunnel constructed, connecting with them, and at the same time providing a safe passage for pedestrians across the street”.

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With regards to the new one-way scheme the committee expressed satisfaction at how it had worked thus far but recommended that “estimates should be prepared for moving back the kerb lines at certain parts in order to speed the flow of traffic at corners”.

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