Commercial Property Titanic Belfast Buoyed by Huge Interest

Posted on 11 April, 2012 by MOVEHUT

Titanic Belfast has already been dubbed The Iceberg. A neck-craning 125ft tall, resembling the mammoth hulls of four ocean-liners and clad in glistening silver shards, it’s not hard to see why.

This 150,000 sq ft exhibition space, which cost nearly £100 million to build, opened its doors on March 31, marking the anniversary of Titanic’s completion. The world’s leading Titanic attraction, she rises from the waterfront where her namesake was created, in what was once the busiest shipyard in the world.

Standing outside on the redundant slipway, it’s hard to picture the glory days of the 1900s, when Belfast was a booming international hub for the tobacco, linen and rope making industries.

However walk through the exhibition’s glass-roofed entry hall, enter Gallery One and you’re back in boom time Belfast, walking to work together with flat-capped yard workers, swerving at the clatter of horses’ hooves on the cobbles and jumping at the whistle of steam behind you.

It’s a sensory experience that inspires visitors to identify with the people of the era. You can truly feel the buoyancy that filled Belfast’s streets back then.

In Gallery Two, a lift shoots 70ft up a reconstruction of one of the enormous pillars of the giant Arrol Gantry, for years a Belfast landmark, as if to start a day’s work, beating iron rivets into Titanic’s inch-thick steel plates.

Across nine commercial property galleries altogether, visitors are guided on a journey through the ship’s lifetime, from her formation and construction to her resting place, 13,000 ft. deep on the Atlantic seabed. Local tour guide Dee Morgan, said: “This is not a traditional museum. You won’t find any old spoons and dusty suitcases here.”

In Gallery Seven, ice-cold air fills your nostrils as you look down to find watery waves thrashing at your shoes and pick up the fervent clicking of Morse Code. But then again rather than dramatise the sinking, this exhibition is about celebrating the workmanship behind the boat. Dee explains, “In Belfast, everyone’s granddaddy built the Titanic. We’re proud to be reviving our heritage.”


Every so often, the exhibition reconnects with the background outside-the dry dock below, the original drawing offices, the River Lagan where the Titanic first set sail- reminding visitors that this commercial property building could not have been positioned anywhere else in the world.

Up until recently, ‘Titanic’ was a dirty term in Belfast-the city was keen to remove its association with the greatest maritime tragedy in history. However, this pioneering exhibition is about bringing the Titanic back to the Belfast of in the present day, using the heroic story of her formation to put Northern Ireland’s capital back on the map.

Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of adults in Northern Ireland plan to visit the Titanic Belfast commercial property attraction this year, according to an independent survey. The figure emerged after the commercial property announced last week that it had sold out the attraction until Monday, April 16.

The survey, carried out by the firm YouGov, questioned 818 adults aged between 18 and 64 and found that 70 per cent of adults in Northern Ireland plan on visiting Titanic Belfast this year.

It also found that 18 per cent do not plan on visiting the attraction at all, while 12 per cent are unsure. The study also found that 45 per cent of adults said they thought a replica of Titanic should have been constructed. However, forty-one per cent remained against the imitation idea, while 14 per cent said they didn’t know.




Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


Recent Posts

Interest Rates Impact on Commercial Property

Commercial Property Investment Outlook for 2023

The best places to stay on the Riviera

The latest property data has identified Newquay as the fastest property seller’s market in the UK

Investing in your garden can increase your property’s value

French Riviera temping high-end homebuyers

How can the ownership rights of my commercial property impact a business sale?

Should I incorporate virtual property viewings permanently?

Investment expected to increase across Asia-Pacific in 2021

UK property industry slows as the conclusion of tax break looms

BNP Paribas cautioned investors on Friday as debt-trading bonanza that increased its earnings this past year

Over 300,000 property purchases fell through in 2020 – we show the most frequent motives and the best way to get your house sale back on track

House Prices in the Capital Surpass £500,000

Optimism from the Bank of England’s chief economist

The most expensive commercial properties.

Businesses operating from shared premises will miss out on grants