"Recalling Cavalier and Roundhead; Cromwell and Prince Charles; the loyal Lees of Ditchley and Puritan soldiers and exhorters" (from Sir Walter Scott's 1826 novel Woodstock) (John J. Marshall, Belfast Telegraph, 26/02/41).
Woodstock Road is one of a number of Belfast streets named after works by Scott or characters within them. Other examples nearby include Ardenvohr Street and Glenvarlock Street. There were once more than a dozen in different parts of the city but some no longer exist. Woodstock Road appears to be the first Scott-inspired street-name in the city. These names are discussed in greater detail in the following blog: https://cms.aspect-media.co.uk/literature-and-the-arts-1
Another indicator of the popularity of Scott's work in the 19th century is the following passage quoted by Benn: "The first Steamboat that ever appeared at our quays was the 'Rob Roy', called so, we presume, from Scott's novel of that name. She came from Scotland, and excited in the town an excessive curiosity. This was in the year 1819. She plied between Belfast and Glasgow" (quoted in George Benn, A History of the Town of Belfast, vol. ii, 1880, p. 124). If the interpretation is correct, this seems to have been a very prompt response to the publication of Rob Roy just two years earlier in 1817. It must be remembered, however, that Robert Roy MacGregor was a historical personage, not a character invented by Scott.
Woodstock Road is first listed in Henderson's Directory in 1863, but the name was applied originally to a group of three houses called Woodstock Place, which existed at least as early as 1845, as shown by newspaper advertisements. This was near the city end of the road and may have been close to the site of the modern street named Woodstock Place. As there are few early references to Woodstock Place and it was not marked on 19th century maps covering Ballymacarrett, it is somewhat surprising that Woodstock Road was not named after one of the more prominent houses in the area, such as Willowfield or Nettlefield. Perhaps it was simply its location near the city end of the road which made Woodstock Place a distinctive landmark.
The name changes to Cregagh Road after the intersection of Ravenhill Avenue.