Alfred Street is marked as an intended thoroughfare on Mason's plan of 1815. It can be seen plainly on the 1822 map of Belfast in Benn's History of Belfast. According to Patton it was developed on the former McClean’s Fields. It is included in the list of streets in the Belfast Directory 1831-1832.
Was it called after King Alfred the Great?
St. Malachy's Catholic Church is situated on Alfred Street, facing Clarence Street. It was designed by architect Thomas Jackson in a neo-Tudor style. Jackson, a Quaker from Waterford who settled and made his name in Belfast, was bettter known for his neo-Clasical creations such as the Old Museum (1831) and private residences such as Cliftonville (1831) and Glen Ebor, now named Hampton (c. 1862).