Preserving history: A Titanic-themed boutique hotel is to be created at the old headquarters of Harland and Wolff, the Belfast shipyard which built the ill-fated liner;A planning application has been lodged to convert the listed building, which can be seen in the ariel view of the shipyard;
Tourists visiting the Drawing Room, where the Titanic’s blueprint was drawn up. In January a separate application was made for the restoration of the ornate offices; the mighty White Star liner which sunk on her maiden voyage with a huge loss of life in 1912.
A Titanic-themed boutique hotel is to be created out of the old headquarters of the Belfast shipyard which built the mighty liner. A planning application has been lodged to turn the listed former Harland and Wolff HQ into a five-star, 90-bedroom hotel.
The project will involve the refurbishment, part-restoration and extension of the red brick building on Queen’s Island in the east of the city, complete with provision of swimming pool, gym and spa facilities. The hotel plan is part of the redevelopment of 185 acres of former shipyard land in what has been named The Titanic Quarter.
The developers, Titanic Quarter Ltd, said it was “one of the largest mixed use developments under way in Europe and additional hotel space is an integral part of that mix”. “Given the enormous global interest in the Titanic and the building’s close association with the ship, such a hotel will add to the Northern Ireland tourist experience,” a spokes-man said. “The plans for the hotel have been devised in consultation with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and will help ensure that the building is appropriately refurbished and restored.”
In January a separate planning application was lodged for the restoration of two Drawing Offices where the Titanic’s blueprint was drawn up. The offices form a part of the former shipyard headquarters and the proposal is to make the ornate offices available for public events. Hundreds of millions of pounds are being pumped into the Titanic Quarter in the provision of commercial, residential and educational developments, including a new site for the Belfast Metropolitan College and the Public Records Office.
The hotel is part of the centrepiece ‘Titanic Signature Project’, which is intended to bring alive the area’s history. The project will include the restoration of the Thompson Dock and the slipways where the Titanic and sister ship Olympic were built. A £90 million Titanic Signature building is proposed to stand at the head of the Titanic slipway. The Titanic Quarter development is expected to attract significant numbers of visitors. The recent Tall Ships Festival drew some 500,000 people to Belfast’s waterfront in just three days, and the Titanic Signature Project is expected by the developers to draw around 400,000 a year.
