Location: Ballyhackamore / Upper Newtownards Road area, East Belfast
Origin: The name “Halstein” is unusual in a Belfast context and appears to be of continental European derivation (Germanic or Scandinavian). Unlike many nearby streets named after local landowners or townlands, “Halstein” seems to have been a chosen development name rather than a reflection of existing geography. Its exact origin is not definitively documented in corporation or directory records. It may have been selected by a developer in the late 19th or early 20th century, perhaps to give a distinctive identity to a new suburban street as Ballyhackamore expanded.
History: Halstein Drive first appears on Ordnance Survey maps of the early 20th century, laid out in the growing suburb of Ballyhackamore. By 1912, newspaper references (e.g. Belfast News-Letter, 26 March 1912) show residents living there, confirming the street was established by that date. Its proximity to the Upper Newtownards Road tramway made it attractive to middle-class commuters.
The street remains today as part of the Ballyhackamore neighbourhood, retaining its distinctive non-Irish name among otherwise local references (e.g. Sandown, North Road, Earlswood).
Timeline:
Late 19th century: Area around Ballyhackamore begins to be developed for suburban housing.
c. 1900–1910: Halstein Drive laid out (appears on early 20th-century OS maps).
1912: Resident listed at 12 Halstein Drive in a Belfast News-Letter court report (26 March 1912).
Mid–20th century: Well-established residential street in suburban East Belfast.
Present: Still extant as Halstein Drive, Ballyhackamore.
See also: Ballyhackamore, Sandown Road, North Road, Upper Newtownards Road.
Sources:
Ordnance Survey of Ireland, Third Edition maps (1900–1932).
Belfast News-Letter, 26 March 1912 (court case naming Halstein Drive).
Belfast street directories, early 20th century.