Queen's Quarter, Belfast

Queen's University Belfast, the quarter's namesake

Queen's Quarter (also known as the University Quarter) is the southernmost

Stranmillis Road, University Road and Malone Road are the main thoroughfares through the area. The Quarter encompasses a region bounded by the Ormeau Road, the Holylands and Stranmillis Embankment to the east and the Lisburn Road

to the west.

Culture

Many cultural events take place in this area of the city, in part because of the presence of the university, and in part because of the choice of venues, including the Whitla, Mandela and Elmwood Halls owned by the University. As well as these inside venues, the

Belfast Festival at Queen's

, an international arts festival held every November, now in its 46th year.

The Quarter is also home to the

Queen's Students' Union's

Mandela Hall and 'Speakeasy' venues.

Attractions

Much of the area is near the Botanic Gardens, a 28-acre (110,000 m²) public park opened in 1828, housing rare plant species in the iconic 'Palm House' (also designed by Charles Lanyon); the park is located close to the Stanmillis Embankment along the River Lagan, which consists of a towpath that runs to the town of Lisburn. Northern Ireland's largest museum, the Ulster Museum, is located in the Quarter adjacent to the Friar's Bush Graveyard, a former monastery and one of Belfast's oldest Christian sites, with graves dating to the time of Saint Patrick.^[1]

Architecture

The area is also known for its architecture which includes not only the Lanyon Building, but also

Stranmillis College

(part of Queen's) was also designed by Charles Lanyon.

Students

Thousands of students from Queen's, as well as other institutions such as the

University of Ulster and Belfast Metropolitan College

, live in the area which has given rise to a large number of coffee shops, restaurants and pubs which have also made the area popular among tourists. Clear examples of this can be seen in the Stranmillis Village area south of Queen's, and Botanic Avenue to the north of the main campus.

Images

Union Theological College, located on Botanic Avenue.
The Lanyon Building, the main building of Queen's University, and centre of Queen's Quarter.
QUB War Memorial, outside main entrance to Lanyon Building.
Queen's University Belfast Students' Union
Exterior of Ulster Museum, located on Stranmillis Road and designed by James Cumming Wynne.
Ulster Museum undergoing refurbishment.
Inside the Botanic Gardens Palm House.
Statue to Belfast-born physicist
Lord Kelvin
at the entrance to the botanic gardens.
Queen's University Belfast Boat Club based in Stranmillis, racing University College Dublin on the River Lagan.

References

^ Lowry, Mary (1913). The Story of Belfast and its Surroundings. London: Headley Bros.

External links

[1] Lowry, Mary (1913). The Story of Belfast and its Surroundings. London: Headley Bros.

[1]