Blakeley Terrace

Blakeley Terrace
BT12
Malone Lower

 

Blakeley Terrace 

 BT12

Malone Lower, 

Sandy Row

Description


Blakeley Terrace (earlier called Blakely Street) is a short cross‑street in the Sandy Row district, running between Clementine Street and Britannic Street, a block west of Sandy Row. Today the street forms a small cul‑de‑sac containing several terraced houses.

When does it first appear?


The street does not appear in the 1880 Belfast directory. Its first listing is in the Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory 1890: “Blakely Street off Clementine Street” with eleven houses. An advertisement in the Belfast Telegraph of 9 January 1891 offered houses in “Blakeley Street (9), off Sandy Row, in good order, rent 4s per week,” confirming that the street existed and was being let by early 1891 (see newspaper clipping provided by the user). The 1901 and 1910 directories describe “Blakely Street, Clementine Street to Britannic Street” and list many residents. By the 1960 directory the street was still there, listed within the Clementine Street section.

An earlier reference to the surname in Belfast is Blakely’s Lane (near Tomb Street), which appears in the 1843 street directory. This lane was on the opposite side of the town and predates the Sandy Row development, but it demonstrates the presence of the Blakely surname in local toponymy.

Why is it called Blakeley/Blakely?


Unlike neighbouring streets whose names are well‑documented, the origin of “Blakeley/Blakely” remains uncertain. Nearby streets laid out in the 1870s and 1880s were named after public figures or themes: Schomberg Street (approved 24 Oct 1877), Blondin Street (likely for tight‑rope walker Charles Blondin), Bentham Street (philosopher Jeremy Bentham), and ship‑names such as Britannic, Teutonic and Majestic. Blakeley does not fit these patterns.  

The most plausible explanation is that it commemorates a local family or property owner named Blakely. 

Context


Blakeley Street formed part of a grid of small streets laid out west of Sandy Row during Belfast’s late‑19th‑century expansion. The street was one of the later additions – it appeared after the mid‑1870s when the Street‑Names Committee approved Blythe and Schomberg streets but before 1891. Together with the streets mentioned above, it illustrates the mixture of cultural, historical and personal names chosen for the Sandy Row development.

Sources

  1. Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory (1890) – listing for Blakely Street off Clementine Street.
  2. Belfast Telegraph, 9 Jan 1891 – advertisement for houses in Blakeley Street, confirming the street existed by early 1891.
  3. Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory (1901) – description “Blakely Street, Clementine Street to Britannic Street”.
  4. Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory (1910) – same description with residents.
  5. Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory (1960) – Blakely Street referenced within Clementine Street listings.
  6. Belfast Street Directory (1843) – listing for Blakely’s Lane, Tomb Street, showing early use of the surname.
  7. Northern Whig, 3 Jan 1876 – report that the municipal committee named a new street off Sandy Row Blythe Street.
  8. Belfast City Council minutes, 24 Oct 1877 – resolution naming Schomberg Street
  9. Belfast Street‑names project’s entry on Blondin Street and literature‑and‑arts article – evidence that other streets in the area were named after public figures such as Charles Blondin and Jeremy Bentham.