1996 my first trip to Harland and Wolff. Shot before i learnt how to use a camera properly but has always been reference video as to the old buildings before they were demolished.
You're a saint for preserving this stuff, I only just found out about all the demolitions. I'd feel majorly ripped off if I went there as a Titanic tourist and found out all the interesting old structures had been razed the way they have been.
Nice to see that much of the site has been captured prior to almost total demolition.. I lived only a couple of miles past "The Yard" and the harbour entrance, back in the 1950's and 60's, and we could always hear the hammering from the workers day and night - the whole area lit up with arclights and welding torches at night One needed a special pass to enter, and I was fortunate in visiting it several times during the mid-60's. It was like rush hour on steroids with thousands of workers all engaged on some form of work. Steam trains and road train bogies 100 yards long carrying massive ship engines and all manner of marine parts, three-wheel Scammel lorries with Harkness or H&W name plates. I watched the launchings of the Southern Cross (1953/4), Canberra (1960), Sea Quest oil rig platform (1966) and the Esso Ulidia oil tanker (1970). If my memory serves me right, Sea Quest was the first oil rig platform to be launched successfully, when other shipyards had failed. A few of the old buildings have survived so far - probably the most important one being the Drawing Offices, now a quite grand hotel with many of "The Yard" features intact in one form or another. The old pumphouse has been retained and opened as a part museum, part lecture centre, and part cafe, with all the pumping machinery still as it was in 1911, and now also open for tourists. HMS Caroline is the last remaining survivor (light cruiser) from the Battle of Jutland, and was a local Command ship in WW2, and subsequently a training school for cadets. Having undergone a three-year refurbishment by H&W, she, also, is open for tourists (and worth every penny)! While it is sad to see such a shipyard disappear, many of the buildings were over 100 years old and long past their usefulness. The giant sheds had no further function, and so much of the 185 acres have smart new industries and tourist attractions, while the whole harbour area has been transformed into a place of leisure and calm, with a smart new marina, cycle and walking areas and attractions by the score. When I now visit the place, I feel sad about what has now gone forever, but also excited with a place ranked as one of the top five places in the world to visit, so it can't be that bad. This video is a gem in its own right, simply because it's captured something that so many people would love to have seen. It would have been nice to have had some commentary included, but I'm presuming that Mr Lee didn't have enough historical knowledge of all he was filming. Nevertheless, it is a priceless record. Perhaps Mr Lee should find some of the old Yard workers to view his video and add some narrative and possibly other interesting comments. There is only one thing that I haven't understood in the video: for some curious reason, Mr Lee seems to have formed some kind of peculiar fascination for one specific building - the building where all the giant funnels for Titanic were made. He has filmed it not once, not twice, but perhaps over a dozen times, and from every possible angle, so one must wonder why!
Wow thanks for the insight. As this was in 96 i hadnt really the knowledge ive niw attained since that trip so much i wasnt sure i was seeing except for the obvious parts. But now i know pretty much everything and have plans of the island while it was a pleasure park before HW took over. It was also belfasts first zoo. The abercon basin joined up with the Musgrave as part of the original rivers route before Dargan changed it. Yes i wish i could go back now with not only the knowledge i have now but also the far better cameras and skills i now have. I did know about the funnel and boiler sheds and was sad to see the engine works go. On facebook there is a group full of the guys who worked there.
@@050572robert Hi Craig, I hadn't expected a reply, so it's nice to know you have an eye open. Much of what is known about "The Yard" - as it was known - is pretty scattered, and not many people know as much as they think. The information you offer me now, is not correct, I'm sorry to inform you. Most of the H&W area as we know it (181 acres) was not marshland so much as solid mud. When H&W opened its business, the only "hard" ground was about 8 acres which they used very well, and gradually increased it to around 80 acres by the time of Titanic, then to the size we know now. It had never been a pleasure ground simply because it was a thick, stinking loam, and there is no solid evidence it had ever been a zoo for the same reason. It might possibly have been a short-term holding ground for animals until Bellevue Zoo had been constructed, but there were no pathways or buildings ever constructed there before H&W took over. I have the original map copies to prove it! What you've been told is fanciful folklore. If you care to take 15 minutes, view my RUclips video "Titanic Quarter by Motorcycle," In there, you'll see the maps reproduced, along with how it all grew over the years. When you've seen it, come back to me and we can discuss it further if you wish. In the meantime, thank you for responding - and your video is good enough for future historians. I liked it very much.
@@charlieindigo are you saying that according to plans there was no " peoples park" even though there are a couple paintings of it with regard to Queen victoria arriving to open the channel hence the victoria channel and eventually queens island affectionately known as dargans island before that? There was the patent slip which was located next to the Hamilton dock and where the road runs a huge timber pond. The info i have of the peoples park is from Elieen Black "the peoples park 1849-1879 and includes photos. So non of that was true? The yard on one side was Hicksons shipyard which Harland bought. I will have a look at your site. The plans ive seen were supplied by Rodney McCollough and several of them are backed up by photograph
What I'm saying, Craig, is that somewhere along the line you've either got things a little confused or you've been given some doubtful (if not incorrect) information. Let's take this step by step: Up until the late 1800's, all shipbuilding took place on the western side of the Victoria Channel, and old maps show that the area surrounding / and part of the ship building area was mostly timber yards, since all the ships were wooden at that time. When H&W came on the scene, they started on the Eastern side of the channel, so the names you mention, such as Dargan, have little bearing on the H&W history. The entire area which we call Queen's Island was nothing but mud wasteland. H&W began on the banks of Abercorn Basin, and it's believed that the first Dry Dock was in fact Hamilton Dock. It was here that Titanic's tender "Nordic" was built, and where she rests today. In preparation for the new grand liners from c1900, ttwo slipways were constructed (although others had preceded them on the Victoria Channel itself, but were not large enough to contain or launch ships the size of Titanic). In addition, the Thompson Graving Dock was begun for the same reason. Now, you mention the people's park; Yes, it's called Victoria Park, but it was not created in the docks area, and had nothing at all to with H&W. It was built on the eastern side of the Connswater river in East Belfast, and totally separate from "The Yard." In fact, there is absolutely no connection between the two. At this point, you can now forget Dargan, all ship building on that western side of the Victoria Channel, and you can forget Victoria Park, as it was not on the same stretch of ground as Queen's Island. I've heard it said that Belfast Zoo began life on the mud flats, but there is no true evidence to support that; the only things that could have survived the flats were seagulls! It's an arguable point, but again, has no bearing whatsoever on the H&W story, so you can forget that as well. Finally. by around 1900, wooden sailing ships were no longer being built by H&W - or any other builders as far as I am aware, so those storage areas for timber were gradually replaced by engineering works and other storage areas such as oil etc. I don't know what maps, if any, you've been using, but I do recommend you download for free the following: Explore Belfast 1901-1923 from Living legacies. This beautiful map is coloured red for all of its buildings. If you zoom in on any particular area, it changes to what the place looks like today (satellite imagery). H&W is well-featured and shows all the railway lines and docks in excellent detail. Another excellent map is Belfast 1888, available from Marcus Ward. This shows clearly the small 8-acre site of H&W with Hamilton Dock and the first slipways running into Abercorn Basin. ALL THE REST IS PURELY MUD FLATS! There is no "people's park" and no zoo! So there you have it. Those two maps will show all you need to know. I hope it helps. Bothe maps are featured in my RUclips video. Best wishes on your future researches.
@@charlieindigo William dargan was nothing to do with ship building. I never said he was...he was a railway engineer and also won the contract to straighten the lagan in two cuts the waste from which was dumped on the east bank later to become queens island. Yes the hamilton drydock was the first dock built and where the tender Nomadic not nordic was fitted out and sits today. She was launched from the smaller slip next to olympic. Victoria park is further south and again nothing to do with what im talking about. Yes shipbuilding started on the west bank and hicksons yard was on the east where the Hamilton is. The patent slip being next to it. I will with interest look up your info thank you for that.
Absolutely incredible video, I wanted to get over to Belfast before they began building and demolishing, unfortunately I couldn't. I was desperate to see it all before it was modernised, thankfully you made this video, the only one of its kind. Amazing!! I visited last year finally and it looks great, the dry dock especially but would have loved to have seen it like this with my own eyes.
Its amazing to see what the site looked like then all derelict on how the site looks now. To see all those iconic buildings in your video & now they have all gone, all demolished to make way for the Titanic Quarter. I was there August 2023 & I was stunned when I saw the Titanic Quarter for the first time & looked at Samson & Goliath, as we drove past in our taxi to the hotel. Ive only watched upto the Hamilton Dry Dock where Nomadic now sits (5 mins onwards) Thankyou sir for sharing this video, ive been searching for old site photos & videos. Cant wait to watch the rest of this video.
Amazing to think of the lengths this great shipyard went to, in its heyday, even to compete with the other major ship builders, The local Lough had to be deepened, to accommodate the soon to be built Leviathans, The huge gantry and the bigger lifting cranes to be installed, least of all the huge engines to power these huge liners. and of course the forward thinking Mr Pirie, Mr Andrews, the designer, and then the many thousands of workers, who had to sweat, and labour in the most basic health and safety conditions. When this huge undertaking was underway, it must have seemed impossible to quite a number of those involved, the whole project had never been done before, everything was bigger, and unproven, But this shipyard did it. and its now legendary across the world.
I watched every minute of this video and just so fascinating. I currently live at the titanic arc and work in the titanic studios and my workshop is actually featured just at the back corner next to the paint hall and close to the HMS Caroline. I personally think that the regeneration of the Queens Island H&W site is fantastic. Yes they could have kept the facade of the H&W entrance gate but aside from that it has become a really pleasant place to walk and relax. Very strange to see the area without the Arc and the Odyssey but great to see these dry docks restored and appreciated. Thanks for documenting a very enjoyable piece of Belfast history.
i dont mean to be off topic but does anybody know a trick to log back into an instagram account? I somehow forgot my password. I would appreciate any help you can give me!
@Vivaan Westin Thanks for your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im trying it out now. Takes a while so I will reply here later with my results.
My Dad worked for Farrans when they were demolishing the Thompson Wharf. He bought so many items from the yard that our garden looked like a scrapyard for years afterwards. Pretty sure he still has the road sign seen at 18:40 in the video. I was 16 at the time and from 96-97 I went with him every Friday after school as I was crazy about the Titanic. Back then the old Drawing Offices and White Star Line Building were totally open and still had all their furniture and paperwork inside. It was like opening a time capsule.
Enthralling, thanks for sharing. I remember phoning H & W in the late '90's to ask if I could come up for a look and they said don't, we're a working shipyard. How things have changed.
@CentraloTagoKiwi yes, this was 96. I had to just sign a wavier and couple of forms for safety. Had a week to spend there. The working side is the Musgrave area, south of Queens Rd. All my side was derelict. I found drydock procedures dated 1934.
Cycle around here every weekend morning. Past the Nomadic, HMS Caroline and then to the Titanic dry dock. Doesn't matter how many times I see Samson and Goliath, it always looks amazing
@@050572robert Hi Craig nice to meet you! No don’t have any photos unfortunately, just loads of memories. First job out of the training centre at gate 7 Queens Road was in the White metal shop. We used to rotate round the place as apprentice,s. Now I am 68 and it just seems like yesterday lol.
It was the sheer scale of everything which made one feel Lilliputian. 1000 ton chunks of ship being lifted by Goliath and slotted in like Lego blocks in the 1/4 mile long building dock, and the giant flatbed transporter with two drivers, front and rear. All its 60-odd (?) wheels could be turned simultaneously and in opposite angles to each other, something like a SCHEUERLE SPMT machine. As I dimly recall it could carry 1000 tons. Likewise, the 32,000 SHP 9 cylinder engine was as big as a 4 bedroom house, which shook the whole engineering shop when it was started up. There was, to my mind, a kind of Cape Canaveral feel to the place from the viewpoint of Larkfield Secondary School’s (Blacks Road, Dunmurry - long gone) ‘Space Man’. There was also an enormous American trailer truck from WW2 era which used to trundle around Queen’s Island. Long since scrapped, no doubt.
Its actually heart breaking to see the state that Britain had fallen too , could you imagine people looking foreword and seeing this from 100 years ago , and seeing this is how this generation allowed their country to degenerate into a basket case .
Hello Craig, I will travel to Belfast early next month. This video is very well done although it is from it of 1996. I will also have a lot of movies. Belfast has changed a bit. The have since everything very beautiful. Greeting from Germany (y)
Theres not much there now that is recognisable, most all of the buildings have been demolished. The place has changed too much now and is modern. I prefer the old way. I only wish i had my camera that i use now, back then instead of a crap camcorder. Enjoy your visit, safe trip.
I'm also a bit sad about it. I would be more interested in the old things. Some halls have already been converted to Holetls. I'm looking forward to the adventure .......
I remember seeing it just before it went into such disrepair, My dad worked there from the early 80's to around 1998, and I remember being a toddler at an open day event which must have been 1992/3, where the company showed off how fantastic it was. Light years different in '96 it would seem :(
At start of this video, the sheds with several cranes in (Robinson crane hire)i worked in 1998..then worked in ship yard in AFS as a welder in 1999 and the webline 2000 and ship repair 2001..enjoyed working there and the type of work..didnt enjoy the discrimination/harassment because i was a Catholic..other workers being told not to speak to me..
I remember it like this! I still have dreams where im going through the shipyard towards a bridge that isnt complete. I get freaked out in my dream because it is very high up and dodgy. Stop wrecking Belfast!
Incredible video from a time that looks like a long time ago but really wasn’t. A lot of people saying that they preferred it from years ago but the world has moved on and times change. Even if the yard had survived it never would of needed all the mass of sheds of years gone by when the yards made everything. Modern yards are assembly yards and purchase most of the ship parts. This video showed a lot of dereliction and why would the public want to walk around that apart from H&W historians.
The Yard did survive though! Currently there is 3 cruise ships and a StenaLine vessel in for repair. Hopefully the start of better times again for H&W!
Imagine the skills and trades that would of existed in Belfast once , and Britain too , very sad that Britain allowed the Socialist disease to wreck the community and its industries , one of the worst was the motor bikes and car industries that were wiped out by sheer stupidity with shoddiness and strikes and just bloody minded incompetence something which modern Britain seems too excel at , Germany is still functioning as they have always been and are as rich as you could possibly want to be because of it , simply self discipline .
It was after WW2 that Japan, Italy and Germany's economy went wild. Basically a huge post war economic growth which is part of the reason why they are doing very well today.
Ah, looks like 100 years ago, then you hear the chopper going by and remember this is what it was like. A bomb a year for 5 years not knowing what the heck was going on, but somehow it was 'normal'. Feel bad for those tragic cases were people were affected, so grateful that it's more peaceful now! Great content though lol
I know old man Harland. He was a cheep skate. I only made 500.00 a weak. I worked my ass off. He used cheep steel in the Titanic. I knew it would sink.
So you must be like really old then because he died in 1895. Also, sorry to rain on your parade but it wasnt cheap steel, it was best for its time and considering her sister Olympic, built several months before Titanic was made of the same stuff, survived four sub attacks, sailed the same seas, clocked up a hell of a lot more mileage and is the only merchant ship to sink a sub by ramming, i'd say I'd be pretty happy with that steel!
Point is the iceberg with 60ft above the water shows by mathematical definition how much more is below thus showing it would be far heavier than any ship, and ships being hollow, and ice being solid, no ship that size could of survived. Only the bulkhead height let her down, as Olympic was holed with two compartments flooded and she survived.
@@bobanppvc all i no is my dad was born in rosedale abbey north yorkshire moors and edward harland comes from the same area i was told off a relative that harland and wolff sent representatives to rosedale to trace the family connection
I think you have got too used to people with RUclips channels feeding their ego's or receiving money for their uploads. I videoed this back in 96 with a crap camera, long before I heard of RUclips. I didnt even need to upload it. Its just visible ref of the area before Modernisation. Im not a "youtuber" and not looking to entertain a following.
You're a saint for preserving this stuff, I only just found out about all the demolitions. I'd feel majorly ripped off if I went there as a Titanic tourist and found out all the interesting old structures had been razed the way they have been.
Yes i dont like what they've done to the place now, but nothing you can do about it, in reality that is.
BarryDennen12 ss
It’s a shame that so many structures were demolished💔
My father was born at home on Trafalgar Street 1949, it was all knocked down years ago, only the street sign in tiles is still on the corner.
@@050572robert I know I'm late to the game. Question, do you (or would you) burn the video to a CD or thumb-drive for collectors?
Nice to see that much of the site has been captured prior to almost total demolition.. I lived only a couple of miles past "The Yard" and the harbour entrance, back in the 1950's and 60's, and we could always hear the hammering from the workers day and night - the whole area lit up with arclights and welding torches at night One needed a special pass to enter, and I was fortunate in visiting it several times during the mid-60's. It was like rush hour on steroids with thousands of workers all engaged on some form of work. Steam trains and road train bogies 100 yards long carrying massive ship engines and all manner of marine parts, three-wheel Scammel lorries with Harkness or H&W name plates. I watched the launchings of the Southern Cross (1953/4), Canberra (1960), Sea Quest oil rig platform (1966) and the Esso Ulidia oil tanker (1970). If my memory serves me right, Sea Quest was the first oil rig platform to be launched successfully, when other shipyards had failed.
A few of the old buildings have survived so far - probably the most important one being the Drawing Offices, now a quite grand hotel with many of "The Yard" features intact in one form or another. The old pumphouse has been retained and opened as a part museum, part lecture centre, and part cafe, with all the pumping machinery still as it was in 1911, and now also open for tourists.
HMS Caroline is the last remaining survivor (light cruiser) from the Battle of Jutland, and was a local Command ship in WW2, and subsequently a training school for cadets. Having undergone a three-year refurbishment by H&W, she, also, is open for tourists (and worth every penny)!
While it is sad to see such a shipyard disappear, many of the buildings were over 100 years old and long past their usefulness. The giant sheds had no further function, and so much of the 185 acres have smart new industries and tourist attractions, while the whole harbour area has been transformed into a place of leisure and calm, with a smart new marina, cycle and walking areas and attractions by the score.
When I now visit the place, I feel sad about what has now gone forever, but also excited with a place ranked as one of the top five places in the world to visit, so it can't be that bad.
This video is a gem in its own right, simply because it's captured something that so many people would love to have seen. It would have been nice to have had some commentary included, but I'm presuming that Mr Lee didn't have enough historical knowledge of all he was filming. Nevertheless, it is a priceless record. Perhaps Mr Lee should find some of the old Yard workers to view his video and add some narrative and possibly other interesting comments.
There is only one thing that I haven't understood in the video: for some curious reason, Mr Lee seems to have formed some kind of peculiar fascination for one specific building - the building where all the giant funnels for Titanic were made. He has filmed it not once, not twice, but perhaps over a dozen times, and from every possible angle, so one must wonder why!
Wow thanks for the insight. As this was in 96 i hadnt really the knowledge ive niw attained since that trip so much i wasnt sure i was seeing except for the obvious parts. But now i know pretty much everything and have plans of the island while it was a pleasure park before HW took over. It was also belfasts first zoo. The abercon basin joined up with the Musgrave as part of the original rivers route before Dargan changed it. Yes i wish i could go back now with not only the knowledge i have now but also the far better cameras and skills i now have. I did know about the funnel and boiler sheds and was sad to see the engine works go. On facebook there is a group full of the guys who worked there.
@@050572robert Hi Craig, I hadn't expected a reply, so it's nice to know you have an eye open.
Much of what is known about "The Yard" - as it was known - is pretty scattered, and not many people know as much as they think. The information you offer me now, is not correct, I'm sorry to inform you. Most of the H&W area as we know it (181 acres) was not marshland so much as solid mud. When H&W opened its business, the only "hard" ground was about 8 acres which they used very well, and gradually increased it to around 80 acres by the time of Titanic, then to the size we know now. It had never been a pleasure ground simply because it was a thick, stinking loam, and there is no solid evidence it had ever been a zoo for the same reason. It might possibly have been a short-term holding ground for animals until Bellevue Zoo had been constructed, but there were no pathways or buildings ever constructed there before H&W took over. I have the original map copies to prove it! What you've been told is fanciful folklore.
If you care to take 15 minutes, view my RUclips video "Titanic Quarter by Motorcycle," In there, you'll see the maps reproduced, along with how it all grew over the years. When you've seen it, come back to me and we can discuss it further if you wish. In the meantime, thank you for responding - and your video is good enough for future historians. I liked it very much.
@@charlieindigo are you saying that according to plans there was no " peoples park" even though there are a couple paintings of it with regard to Queen victoria arriving to open the channel hence the victoria channel and eventually queens island affectionately known as dargans island before that? There was the patent slip which was located next to the Hamilton dock and where the road runs a huge timber pond. The info i have of the peoples park is from Elieen Black "the peoples park 1849-1879 and includes photos. So non of that was true? The yard on one side was Hicksons shipyard which Harland bought. I will have a look at your site. The plans ive seen were supplied by Rodney McCollough and several of them are backed up by photograph
What I'm saying, Craig, is that somewhere along the line you've either got things a little confused or you've been given some doubtful (if not incorrect) information. Let's take this step by step:
Up until the late 1800's, all shipbuilding took place on the western side of the Victoria Channel, and old maps show that the area surrounding / and part of the ship building area was mostly timber yards, since all the ships were wooden at that time.
When H&W came on the scene, they started on the Eastern side of the channel, so the names you mention, such as Dargan, have little bearing on the H&W history. The entire area which we call Queen's Island was nothing but mud wasteland. H&W began on the banks of Abercorn Basin, and it's believed that the first Dry Dock was in fact Hamilton Dock. It was here that Titanic's tender "Nordic" was built, and where she rests today. In preparation for the new grand liners from c1900, ttwo slipways were constructed (although others had preceded them on the Victoria Channel itself, but were not large enough to contain or launch ships the size of Titanic). In addition, the Thompson Graving Dock was begun for the same reason.
Now, you mention the people's park; Yes, it's called Victoria Park, but it was not created in the docks area, and had nothing at all to with H&W. It was built on the eastern side of the Connswater river in East Belfast, and totally separate from "The Yard." In fact, there is absolutely no connection between the two.
At this point, you can now forget Dargan, all ship building on that western side of the Victoria Channel, and you can forget Victoria Park, as it was not on the same stretch of ground as Queen's Island.
I've heard it said that Belfast Zoo began life on the mud flats, but there is no true evidence to support that; the only things that could have survived the flats were seagulls! It's an arguable point, but again, has no bearing whatsoever on the H&W story, so you can forget that as well.
Finally. by around 1900, wooden sailing ships were no longer being built by H&W - or any other builders as far as I am aware, so those storage areas for timber were gradually replaced by engineering works and other storage areas such as oil etc.
I don't know what maps, if any, you've been using, but I do recommend you download for free the following:
Explore Belfast 1901-1923 from Living legacies. This beautiful map is coloured red for all of its buildings. If you zoom in on any particular area, it changes to what the place looks like today (satellite imagery). H&W is well-featured and shows all the railway lines and docks in excellent detail.
Another excellent map is Belfast 1888, available from Marcus Ward. This shows clearly the small 8-acre site of H&W with Hamilton Dock and the first slipways running into Abercorn Basin. ALL THE REST IS PURELY MUD FLATS! There is no "people's park" and no zoo!
So there you have it. Those two maps will show all you need to know. I hope it helps. Bothe maps are featured in my RUclips video.
Best wishes on your future researches.
@@charlieindigo William dargan was nothing to do with ship building. I never said he was...he was a railway engineer and also won the contract to straighten the lagan in two cuts the waste from which was dumped on the east bank later to become queens island. Yes the hamilton drydock was the first dock built and where the tender Nomadic not nordic was fitted out and sits today. She was launched from the smaller slip next to olympic. Victoria park is further south and again nothing to do with what im talking about. Yes shipbuilding started on the west bank and hicksons yard was on the east where the Hamilton is. The patent slip being next to it. I will with interest look up your info thank you for that.
Absolutely incredible video, I wanted to get over to Belfast before they began building and demolishing, unfortunately I couldn't. I was desperate to see it all before it was modernised, thankfully you made this video, the only one of its kind. Amazing!!
I visited last year finally and it looks great, the dry dock especially but would have loved to have seen it like this with my own eyes.
Its amazing to see what the site looked like then all derelict on how the site looks now.
To see all those iconic buildings in your video & now they have all gone, all demolished to make way for the Titanic Quarter.
I was there August 2023 & I was stunned when I saw the Titanic Quarter for the first time & looked at Samson & Goliath, as we drove past in our taxi to the hotel.
Ive only watched upto the Hamilton Dry Dock where Nomadic now sits (5 mins onwards)
Thankyou sir for sharing this video, ive been searching for old site photos & videos.
Cant wait to watch the rest of this video.
Amazing to think of the lengths this great shipyard went to, in its heyday, even to compete with the other major ship builders, The local Lough had to be deepened, to accommodate the soon to be built Leviathans, The huge gantry and the bigger lifting cranes to be installed, least of all the huge engines to power these huge liners. and of course the forward thinking Mr Pirie, Mr Andrews, the designer, and then the many thousands of workers, who had to sweat, and labour in the most basic health and safety conditions. When this huge undertaking was underway, it must have seemed impossible to quite a number of those involved, the whole project had never been done before, everything was bigger, and unproven, But this shipyard did it. and its now legendary across the world.
Thanks for preserving what the shipyard looked like before all the demolitions
I watched every minute of this video and just so fascinating. I currently live at the titanic arc and work in the titanic studios and my workshop is actually featured just at the back corner next to the paint hall and close to the HMS Caroline.
I personally think that the regeneration of the Queens Island H&W site is fantastic. Yes they could have kept the facade of the H&W entrance gate but aside from that it has become a really pleasant place to walk and relax. Very strange to see the area without the Arc and the Odyssey but great to see these dry docks restored and appreciated. Thanks for documenting a very enjoyable piece of Belfast history.
i dont mean to be off topic but does anybody know a trick to log back into an instagram account?
I somehow forgot my password. I would appreciate any help you can give me!
@Peter Reed instablaster =)
@Vivaan Westin Thanks for your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im trying it out now.
Takes a while so I will reply here later with my results.
@Vivaan Westin it worked and I finally got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thank you so much you saved my account!
@Peter Reed no problem =)
My Dad worked for Farrans when they were demolishing the Thompson Wharf. He bought so many items from the yard that our garden looked like a scrapyard for years afterwards. Pretty sure he still has the road sign seen at 18:40 in the video. I was 16 at the time and from 96-97 I went with him every Friday after school as I was crazy about the Titanic. Back then the old Drawing Offices and White Star Line Building were totally open and still had all their furniture and paperwork inside. It was like opening a time capsule.
Wallowing in nostalgia. Thank you so much for putting this together, I really enjoyed going down memory lane through the eye of your lens.
I much prefer to look at junk, wether origonal or not as apposed to modernization and gimics.
Craig Lee Yep, you and I are singing from the same hymn sheet.
Thank you for this video. It’s the closest that I’ll be to the shipyard.
When belfast was belfast, brilliant video
Enthralling, thanks for sharing. I remember phoning H & W in the late '90's to ask if I could come up for a look and they said don't, we're a working shipyard. How things have changed.
@CentraloTagoKiwi yes, this was 96. I had to just sign a wavier and couple of forms for safety. Had a week to spend there. The working side is the Musgrave area, south of Queens Rd. All my side was derelict. I found drydock procedures dated 1934.
Genius for capturing this i was there as a kid with my dad in 1994 removing the last of the engineworks machines
Cycle around here every weekend morning. Past the Nomadic, HMS Caroline and then to the Titanic dry dock. Doesn't matter how many times I see Samson and Goliath, it always looks amazing
This is fantastic. Definitely captures a long gone view and mood that we can no longer experience there. Thanks for posting.
You alive??
This video brings back some memories. Thanks for posting it.
From: Sylvain Plamondon ( My wife account) : Wow! Its Historic , with that we never forget it , whats the past was!!! :) Good Job Craig
Amazing footage to see where the area has come from. Soo much has changed!
I served my time there as an apprentice fitter 1969-1973. Sad to see it all gone
I understand how you feel mate, i was very angry at seeing how its modernised. Do you have many photo of the yard during your time?
@@050572robert Hi Craig nice to meet you! No don’t have any photos unfortunately, just loads of memories. First job out of the training centre at gate 7 Queens Road was in the White metal shop. We used to rotate round the place as apprentice,s. Now I am 68 and it just seems like yesterday lol.
I worked on the building of the 146,000 ton Esso Ulidia in 1970 as an apprentice plumber.
Wish I could of walked the area back then. You must have some good stories to tell.
My father worked at H and W from WW2 through to the mid1970s. Loved working there, he did. Passed away in 1975. Willie Hamilton, RIP dad.
It was the sheer scale of everything which made one feel Lilliputian. 1000 ton chunks of ship being lifted by Goliath and slotted in like Lego blocks in the 1/4 mile long building dock, and the giant flatbed transporter with two drivers, front and rear. All its 60-odd (?) wheels could be turned simultaneously and in opposite angles to each other, something like a SCHEUERLE SPMT machine. As I dimly recall it could carry 1000 tons. Likewise, the 32,000 SHP 9 cylinder engine was as big as a 4 bedroom house, which shook the whole engineering shop when it was started up. There was, to my mind, a kind of Cape Canaveral feel to the place from the viewpoint of Larkfield Secondary School’s (Blacks Road, Dunmurry - long gone) ‘Space Man’. There was also an enormous American trailer truck from WW2 era which used to trundle around Queen’s Island. Long since scrapped, no doubt.
My father also worked on the ulidia as an apprentice spark,the is a short video on yt of the tanker off the west African coast
@@j2msu341 Thank you. Could you please post a YT link?
Its actually heart breaking to see the state that Britain had fallen too , could you imagine people looking foreword and seeing this from 100 years ago , and seeing this is how this generation allowed their country to degenerate into a basket case .
Worked there in late '99 early 2000 on the Drillships they built, enjoyed my time there !!
This is fascinating. Thanks for uploading!
Great recording, big part of Belfast history. 👍
This is a jewel!
Hello Craig, I will travel to Belfast early next month. This video is very well done although it is from it of 1996. I will also have a lot of movies. Belfast has changed a bit. The have since everything very beautiful. Greeting from Germany (y)
Theres not much there now that is recognisable, most all of the buildings have been demolished. The place has changed too much now and is modern. I prefer the old way. I only wish i had my camera that i use now, back then instead of a crap camcorder. Enjoy your visit, safe trip.
I'm also a bit sad about it. I would be more interested in the old things. Some halls have already been converted to Holetls. I'm looking forward to the adventure .......
Rensberger peter, did you go? What did you think of it?
wow this was taken 20 years ago wow
Thanks for sharing --lovely to see.;-)
It’s sure changed from when I did my apprenticeship there between 1969 and 1973!
I remember seeing it just before it went into such disrepair, My dad worked there from the early 80's to around 1998, and I remember being a toddler at an open day event which must have been 1992/3, where the company showed off how fantastic it was. Light years different in '96 it would seem :(
At start of this video, the sheds with several cranes in (Robinson crane hire)i worked in 1998..then worked in ship yard in AFS as a welder in 1999 and the webline 2000 and ship repair 2001..enjoyed working there and the type of work..didnt enjoy the discrimination/harassment because i was a Catholic..other workers being told not to speak to me..
I remember it like this! I still have dreams where im going through the shipyard towards a bridge that isnt complete. I get freaked out in my dream because it is very high up and dodgy. Stop wrecking Belfast!
Such a shame it’s being allowed to rot like that, could be a fantastic museum and leisure complex
Incredible video from a time that looks like a long time ago but really wasn’t. A lot of people saying that they preferred it from years ago but the world has moved on and times change. Even if the yard had survived it never would of needed all the mass of sheds of years gone by when the yards made everything. Modern yards are assembly yards and purchase most of the ship parts. This video showed a lot of dereliction and why would the public want to walk around that apart from H&W historians.
The Yard did survive though! Currently there is 3 cruise ships and a StenaLine vessel in for repair. Hopefully the start of better times again for H&W!
@@chriswilson2027 Too bad they haven't built a single ship since 2003...
Was that your Sierra? It’s in a few of the shots. 31:42
No mate, didnt bring a car on this visit
Imagine the skills and trades that would of existed in Belfast once , and Britain too , very sad that Britain allowed the Socialist disease to wreck the community and its industries , one of the worst was the motor bikes and car industries that were wiped out by sheer stupidity with shoddiness and strikes and just bloody minded incompetence something which modern Britain seems too excel at , Germany is still functioning as they have always been and are as rich as you could possibly want to be because of it , simply self discipline .
It was after WW2 that Japan, Italy and Germany's economy went wild. Basically a huge post war economic growth which is part of the reason why they are doing very well today.
Ah, looks like 100 years ago, then you hear the chopper going by and remember this is what it was like. A bomb a year for 5 years not knowing what the heck was going on, but somehow it was 'normal'. Feel bad for those tragic cases were people were affected, so grateful that it's more peaceful now! Great content though lol
Brilliant
I know old man Harland. He was a cheep skate. I only made 500.00 a weak. I worked my ass off. He used cheep steel in the Titanic. I knew it would sink.
So you must be like really old then because he died in 1895. Also, sorry to rain on your parade but it wasnt cheap steel, it was best for its time and considering her sister Olympic, built several months before Titanic was made of the same stuff, survived four sub attacks, sailed the same seas, clocked up a hell of a lot more mileage and is the only merchant ship to sink a sub by ramming, i'd say I'd be pretty happy with that steel!
Point is the iceberg with 60ft above the water shows by mathematical definition how much more is below thus showing it would be far heavier than any ship, and ships being hollow, and ice being solid, no ship that size could of survived. Only the bulkhead height let her down, as Olympic was holed with two compartments flooded and she survived.
im proud to be related to edward harland
How you are related to him?
@@bobanppvc all i no is my dad was born in rosedale abbey north yorkshire moors and edward harland comes from the same area i was told off a relative that harland and wolff sent representatives to rosedale to trace the family connection
also i am a harland
Titanic every night in my dreams
So sad that they destroyed everything
Don't worry about narration, we will figure the scenes out, maybe not.
I think you have got too used to people with RUclips channels feeding their ego's or receiving money for their uploads. I videoed this back in 96 with a crap camera, long before I heard of RUclips. I didnt even need to upload it. Its just visible ref of the area before Modernisation. Im not a "youtuber" and not looking to entertain a following.
Nothing but a legacy to religous bigotry. No Catholic need apply.Same as Shorts and Mackies.
I worked with Catholics in shorts and mackies
@@roberttanner7278 Untill you intimidated them out.
@@jameslarkin8494 I didn't intimate anyone. How many protestants are employed in the pubs and betting offices in Belfast City centre.
@@roberttanner7278 That's what happens when equality kicks in.
Would you like northern Ireland to work