Tag Archives: Titanic Belfast

Titanic

Harland & Wolff Headquarters To Become Titanic Themed Hotel

The Belfast Telegraph is reporting that the former Harland & Wolff Headquarters, adjacent to Titanic Belfast, is going to become a boutique hotel. The four-story, 84 room hotel will be managed by Titanic Quarter Ltd. who claim it be “world’s most authentic Titanic-themed hotel.”

Titanic House (former Harland and Wolff Drawing Offices), Queens Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland, March 2012 Photo:Ardfern(Wikimedia Commons)
Titanic House (former Harland and Wolff Drawing Offices), Queens Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland, March 2012
Photo:Ardfern(Wikimedia Commons)

Titanic Foundation, with the help of a £4.9m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Heritage Enterprise programme, is supporting the restoration of the Drawing Offices. The scheme, which will include three pavilions, will be publicly accessible for tours, events and exhibitions. Both projects are due to open in 2017, creating 100 new jobs.

The announcement has generated mostly positive reports in the Belfast Telegraph and elsewhere. Certainly it will draw people and because of its close proximity to Titanic Belfast will become destination all its own.

Source: Harland & Wolff Headquarters Set To Become ‘World’s Most Authentic Titanic-Themed Hotel’(Belfast Telegraph,9 Mar 2016)

Titanic

Roy Snowden, Who Helped Spearhead Getting Nomadic To Belfast, Passes Away At Age 70

From The Irish News:

When Titanic Belfast took over responsibility this year for the famous ship’s ‘little sister’, the SS Nomadic, it was the happy culmination of a lifetime’s dream for Roy Snowden. As the first chairman of the Nomadic Preservation Society, he was a key figure in the campaign to save the last maritime link to the Titanic from the wreckers’ yard and have it restored to its original glory in its home port. Roy served as a board member and trustee of the Nomadic Charitable Trust and his infectious enthusiasm persuaded many firms to supply materials and services free of charge. David Young, of the Nomadic Preservation Trust, said he never sought recognition but has left a remarkable legacy. “He talked about nothing else. He was an articulate man who knew a great deal about world shipping, but the Nomadic was the love of his life. He will be a tremendous loss.”

Snowden passed away on 5 Dec 2015 and is survived by his wife Geraldine, sons Mark and Michael and five grandchildren.

Source: Titanic’s ‘Little Sister’ Became Love Of Roy Snowden’s Life (Irish News,19 Dec 2015)

Titanic

HMS Caroline To Open In Belfast’s Titanic Quarter In June 2016 After Restoration

From the Belfast Telegraph:
Following the award of a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £11.5m and a further investment by Northern Ireland’s Department for Enterprise Trade and Investment, repairs to halt the deterioration of World War One light cruiser were completed earlier this year making the ship safe for the next stage of restoration. National Museum of the Royal Navy Chief of Staff Captain John Rees OBE has been leading the complex funding and restoration programme in partnership with the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment.

HMS Caroline at dock in Belfast (2006) Photo:Dom0803(Wikipedia)
HMS Caroline at dock in Belfast (2006)
Photo:Dom0803(Wikipedia)

He says: “HMS Caroline is a living legend. We are breathing new life into what is an internationally significant piece of world history. We are particularly looking forward to the ship being ready for public opening on June 1 2016. This will mark the first stage of a series of phased openings. The second and third phases will see the ship dry docked for hull conservation works in the winter and then the completion of onshore facilities.

HMS Caroline will open on 1 June 2016 to visitors until November. Then it leaves for a dry dock inspection and hull conservation work returning in December to new position closer to the Pump Station and facing the sea.

Source: HMS Caroline To Open In Belfast’s Titanic Quarter In June 2016 After Restoration (Belfast Telegraph,1 Dec 2015)


Titanic, Titanic Exhibitions

Titanic News Briefs

1.  Titanic Survivor’s Lincoln Park Home May Go Residential Again
A once-elegant Lincoln Park townhouse designed for a survivor of the Titanic may become a residence again after spending 40 years as the home of a recovery program for people with mental illnesses. The corner home was built in 1917 for Emily Ryerson. Five years earlier, her husband Arthur, a lawyer and member of the family behind Ryerson Steel, died in the sinking of the Titanic, but she, their three children and two servants survived. Emily Ryerson’s 17-room home was the biggest of an attached string of four completed in 1917 by architects David Adler, Henry Dangler and Ambrose Cramer and designed to resemble grand rowhouses in London.
Source: Titanic Survivor’s Lincoln Park Home May Go Residential Again(Crain’s Chicago Business, 19 Nov 2015)

2. Titanic Hotel To Help Pensioners On Christmas Day
White Christmas Liverpool, held in the Town Hall for the past two years, offers a hot meal and entertainment to 250 elderly people who would otherwise be spending Christmas Day alone. But last month it was announced that the event was at risk of being pulled due to a lack of funding, and organisers put out an urgent appeal for support and a venue. Liverpool’s Titanic Hotel announced that the event will be hosted in its Rum Warehouse venue on Stanley Dock.
Source: Christmas Day Event For Lonely Pensioners Saved After Liverpool’s Titanic Hotel Steps In (Liverpool Daily Echo,19 Nov 2015)

3. Rare Plymouth Titanic Poster Sells For A Small Fortune
A rare 104-year-old poster advertising transatlantic trips, via Plymouth ,on the ill-fated Titanic and her sister ship, the Olympic, sold for almost £7,000 at an auction in America last night. The 20 by 24 inch poster, issued in or around 1911, the year before the Titanic’s ill-fated maiden voyage, is emblazoned with the words: “White Star Line,Southampton-Cherbourg- Queenstown-New York (via Plymouth eastbound)Triple-Screw R.M.S.Olympic 45,000 tons & Titanic 45,000 tons. Largest steamers in the world.”
Source: Rare Plymouth Titanic Poster Sells For A Small Fortune (Western Morning News, 20 Nov 2015)

4. Aboard the Titanic at Liberty Science Center
Inside the Liberty Science Center’s new Titanic artifact exhibition, be sure to check out the extensive menu enjoyed by wealthy passengers: It starts with consommé, goes into salmon, filet mignon, lamb, duck and beef sirloin, and ends with Waldorf pudding, éclairs and French ice cream. I can attest to the richness of it all: I attended a re-creation of the Titanic’s final first-class dinner held by the science center last week. The sumptuous meal went on for 10 courses and lasted more than three hours. “Back then, no one looked at their waistlines,” said Donatella Arpaia, who, along with fellow celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli, presented dishes such as asparagus vinaigrette, roasted squab with cress sauce, green pea timbale (a molded custard) and foie gras pâté (the ninth course!).
Source: Aboard the Titanic at Liberty Science Center (NorthJersey.com,5 Nov 2015)

5. Titanic Belfast Stars In UK Passport
One of Belfast’s most eye-catching landmarks is to sail into the new UK passport when it is rolled out next month. Titanic Belfast has been selected to feature on the ‘brilliant buildings’ page, which celebrates modern and historic architecture across the UK. The tourist attraction’s design is based on the bow of the Titanic and capitalises on its unique location, built beside the slipway where the liner was floated in 1911.
Source: Titanic Belfast Stars In UK Passport (Belfast Telegraph,5 Nov 2015)


Titanic

Titanic A Boost To Belfast Economy

According to a UTV news report, Titanic Belfast is a major economic boost to Belfast exceeding original targets. Between April 1, 2012 when Titanic Belfast began to March 2015 ,900 jobs have been created. 1.9 million people attended the galleries along with conferences and special exhibitions that drew people in as well.

Titanic Belfast (side view) Image:Prioryman (Wikipedia)
Titanic Belfast (side view)
Image:Prioryman (Wikipedia)

The figures also show that most visitors were from outside Northern Ireland (over 71%). Visitors spend money in lodging, food, sightseeing, and of course all kinds of extra purchases that put money into the economy. Titanic was a tragedy but celebrating its loss has proven to be a major boost for Belfast.

Source: Titanic Belfast ‘Generated £105m For NI Economy’ (2 Oct 2015, UTV)

Titanic

Titanic News 19 Sept 2015

1. The Titanic themed hotel at Stanley Dock in Liverpool, UK has been nominated for an international design award. ADI Studio, who designed the interior, is one of the finalists in the hotel design category of International Design Excellence Award.
Source:Titanic Hotel Nominated For International Design Award(18 Sep 2015,Liverpool Echo)

2. The Titanic Exhibition Center has opened in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. The center will allow various events to used for “exhibitions, community and sporting events, as well as large-scale banquets.”
Source:Titanic Exhibition Centre Opens Its Doors After 80-Day Turnaround(17 Sep 2015,Belfast Live)

3. In what seems decades ago in computer standards, an old Titanic computer game is getting a new life: Starship Titanic. It was based on Douglas Adam’s Life,The Universe, and Everything.Like all golden games from so long ago, it was consigned to the graveyard of forgotten computer game favorites (like many of the original Tomb Raider games are these days). It now has been resurrected for the PC thanks to GOG.com. You can check out the game here.
Source:You can finally play Douglas Adams’ Starship Titanic on a modern PC (17 Sep 2015, theverge.com)

Historic Ships, Titanic

Tuesday Titanic News

Photo:Yoshi Canopus(Wikimedia Commons)
Photo:Yoshi Canopus(Wikimedia Commons)

Things Not Well For Chinese Shipbuilding These Days
1. The Chinese shipbuilding industry appears to be in financial trouble. The major shipbuilders are either in bankruptcy or teetering on the edge of ruin. A combination of bad management, low bids, and rising costs are causing lots of problems. So if that Australian tycoon is still planning on making a Titanic replica, China does not look promising at all. He might have to consider, gasp!, having a European firm build it. That is of course if he is truly serious about building it.
Source: Shipbuilding Industry In China Has Titanic Money Problems(1 June 2015,Want China Times)

2. Now One Pass To See Titanic Belfast and Nomadic
Until recently you had to pay separate tickets for Titanic Belfast and Nomadic. No longer. Now there is a White Star Premium Pass that covers both attractions. It is priced at £25 per adult, £20 for seniors/students and £15 for children.

Using the ultimate Titanic experience ticket, visitors can now not only enjoy the delights of Titanic Belfast but the SS Nomadic, the last remaining White Star Line vessel, as well as the award-winning Discovery Tour, which highlights the famous barrel-vaulted Harland & Wolff Drawing Offices, the slipways and the building’s iconic structure for one price.

It is advised you purchase tickets well in advance. You can purchase tickets at www.titanicbelfast.com/.
Source: Titanic Belfast And SS Nomadic Launch Joint Ticket – The White Star Premium Pass(29 May 2015,Belfast Telegraph)

3. SS Carpathia: The Unassuming Ship That Became Famous
Maritime Executive has a nice write-up of SS Carpathia, the ship that rescued Titanic survivors. Neither a grand ship or a clunky cargo hauler, she was built to carry immigrants from the old world and bringing tourists from the new world. A nice bit of writing and a reminder of a bygone era.
Source: Carpathia’s Role In Titanic’s Rescue(31 May 2015,The Maritime Executive)


Titanic Miscellaneous

Monday Titanic Shorts

1. Both Lusitania And Titanic Got Their Anchor From Same Chainmaker
The Birmingham Mail reports that Hingley and Sons made the anchors for both vessels. These massive anchors were not easy to transport and a big day to watch as they were pulled by teams of horses to the railroad for shipment. “The bow anchors weighed over 10 tons. The chains weighed 125 tons – the mass of a whale – and were 330 fathoms long, the equivalent of eight jumbo jets nose to tail.”
Source: Titanic And Lusitania BOTH Customers Of Netherton Chainmaker(10 May 2015,Birmingham Mail)

Titanic Belfast (side view) Image:Prioryman (Wikipedia)
Titanic Belfast (side view)
Image:Prioryman (Wikipedia)

2. What Defines A British Site?
British Airways’ in-flight magazine – High Life –is asking readers to vote for which 21 landmarks define Britain. And one of those sites included on the list is Titanic Belfast. Sites chosen by readers will be revealed in the August 2015 issue.
Source: Titanic Belfast Included In The Search To Find 21 Landmarks That Define Britain(8 May 2015,Belfast Telegraph)