Latest newsletter: May 2026
Belvoir was a magnificent big house with a fine view. The house is gone, but it gave its name to several streets and also to Belvoir Forest Park. Hugh Hamilton shares his passion for art history and shows just how appropriate the name Belvoir is.
Belfast has more than its share of streets named after far-flung places. This research paper delivered to the Annual Conference of SNSBI, 2026, examines the different possible motivations for this class of street-name.
Thomas Jackson (1807-90) was an architect who had a major impact on Victorian Belfast, although he was less well-known than some of his contemporaries. The names of many of his commissions were presumably chosen by the owners, but two exceptions are Cliftonville, his first major residential project, and Altona, the house which he built for himself in the hills between Belfast and Holywood. Paul Tempan looks at what prompted the choice of these names.
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Nigel Henderson of History Hub Ulster delivered a talk entitled "Belfast Street Names: Admirals, Generals and Battles" at our AGM on 16th February 2026
It all began with a question:
Mark Doherty explores some street-names off Antrim Road that commemorate Belfast-built steamships
In this blog, Martin Magill is in conversation with the host of the widely acclaimed Historical Belfast Podcast
Paul Tempan ponders the many places and things named after the Duke of Wellington: a style of waterproof boot, a recipe for beef, a WWII bomber plane, the capital of New Zealand. But where is the original Wellington? And why was it chosen?
Sir Walter Scott is the author commemorated with the most Belfast street names, far ahead of any rival. Paul Tempan takes a look at the man, the trajectory of his literary reputation, his impact on culture in Ireland, and his legacy, including house and street names.
Paul Tempan's blog explores street-names inspired by literature and the arts in general, with a little detour into the role played by street-names in music and literature.
C. S. Lewis was born in East Belfast before moving to England. Martin Magill looks at several streets close to C.S. Lewis Square which were named in his honour - Lewis Avenue, Lewis Drive, Lewis Mews and Lewis Park.
A widespread pattern found in all parts of Belfast is the naming of streets after residences of merchants, politicians and nobility. Paul Tempan goes house-hunting. Photo courtesy of National Museums NI
Belfast is home to a rich vocabulary of street names. As the city has grown, its streets have been named by successive generations, resulting in today’s fascinating namescape. James Hennessey explores the changing fashions in suffixes.
Paul Tempan sifts through the streetscape in search of “transferred names”, a special category of names which are copied from one location to one or many other locations