According to John J Marshall, the architect Thomas Jackson is reported to be have been so impressed by the residential area of Bristol called Clifton, that he decided to introduce the name to Belfast (Belfast Telegraph, 04/01/1941, p. 4). These properties were advertised in newspapers with the slogan rus in urbe, a Latin phrase meaning "countryside in the town" (e.g. Northern Whig, 01/07/1833) . Perhaps this reflected the perception of Clifton as a leafy suburb of Bristol, which Jackson aimed to emulate. This is supported by C.E.B. Brett, who described Cliftonville as "a villa estate modelled on Clifton on the outskirts of Bristol" (Buildings of Belfast, rev. ed. 1985, p. 33).
In the Belfast Street Directory of 1839 there is an entry that says: “William Herdman, Esq residence, Cliftonville”.
Development of the area continued during the 19th century and into the 20th century, when Sir Robert McConnell tried to market residential housing in the area as "Cliftonville Garden Village". Garden villages and garden cities were a phenomenon of the Edwardian era. The earliest in England was Letchworth, started in 1903, followed by others such as garden cities as Welwyn Garden City. The idea was also adopted around the world, e.g. in New Delhi, Canberra and Quezon City (Philippines). "Northwards from Carlisle Circus areas such as Mount Vernon, Parkmount and Duncairn and the loughside estates of the Grove, Fortwilliam and Skegoniel [sic] grew from the parcelling out of villa parkland into attractive sites for the aspiring lower middle class of commercial clerks and manufacturers' agents. An imaginative attempt to capture the interest of this growing section of Belfast society was made by Sir Robert McConnell, who promoted a Garden City near Cliftonville Circus, with houses selling at £240. Unfortunately, even the promise of pleasure gardens and a bandstand was not enough to win many converts among clerks earning £120 per year, and the scheme failed" (Brenda Collins in Belfast: The Making of the City, ed. J C Beckett, p. 170).
See Cliftonville Road for further details of this name.
"Resolved that the following names of streets submitted by the Surveyor be approved of: … Two new streets extending from Cliftonville Road to Brookvale Avenue — western, Cliftonville Avenue; eastern, Brookhill Street". (15th April 1874).