Key facts
Likely named after George Clibborn Pim (1807–1882)
Belfast Quaker merchant, senior partner in George C. Pim & Co., corn and flour merchants, Donegall Quay
Resident of Evelyn Lodge, Strandtown
Evelyn Lodge stood between today’s Pim’s Avenue and Sydenham Drive
Pim died 30 January 1882 at Moyallon, Co. Down
Pim’s Avenue was established and occupied by 1901 (Belfast/Ulster Street Directory)
George Clibborn Pim was a prominent Belfast Quaker merchant of the nineteenth century. His firm, George C. Pim & Co., traded in corn and flour from Donegall Quay, acted as shipping agents for the Black Ball Line of transatlantic packet ships, and later expanded into marine and life insurance.
He was respected in the city’s mercantile and Quaker communities. The Belfast News-Letter obituary in February 1882 praised his ability, amiability, and generosity.
For many years Pim lived at Evelyn Lodge, a villa in Strandtown shown on mid-nineteenth-century maps, lying between what are now Pim’s Avenue and Sydenham Drive. Following his death, Evelyn Lodge and its grounds were developed for housing, and by 1901 Pim’s Avenue was already established and occupied by tradesmen and their families.
It seems highly probable that Pim’s Avenue was named after George C. Pim, given the villa’s location and his prominence. Yet we cannot be absolutely certain: street names sometimes honoured landowners, developers, or other figures whose names are now obscure. The close association between Evelyn Lodge and Pim, however, makes the connection a strong one.
Sources
Belfast News-Letter, 2 February 1882 (obituary of George C. Pim)
Belfast Street Directory, 1868 (entry: Pim, George C., Evelyn Lodge, Strandtown)
Lennon Wylie: Belfast Street Directories (business addresses for George C. Pim & Co.)
Ordnance Survey maps, mid-19th century (Evelyn Lodge location)
Belfast/Ulster Street Directory, 1901 (Pim’s Avenue listed with residents)
Friends’ Burial Ground, Moyallon (headstone inscription, George Clibborn Pim, d. 1882)