Albert Memorial Clock

 

12.21 am

 

Albert Memorial Clock, Belfast 2015

Belfast has it own leaning tower, the Albert Memorial Clock, located on the East of High Street.

It was built in 1865-1869 for commemorating the death of the husband of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, who died in 1861.

12.26 am

Albert Memorial Clock, Belfast 2015

This tower is not leaning as much as the famous Italian Pisa's Tower, but anyway over the years it has accumulated a list of 1.25 metres off the vertical towards South.

12.35 am

Albert Memorial Clock, Belfast 2015

A multi million pound restoration project carried out in 2002 has allowed the stabilization of the foundations and donated to the tower the original Victorian splendour.

7.08 pm

Albert Memorial Clock, Belfast 2015

The tower is 35 meters high and constructed mainly in sandstone. It was built on wooden piles on reclaimed, marshy land around the river Farset, conditions that caused the subsidence of its foundations.

 7.10 pm

 

Albert Memorial Clock, Belfast 2015

People from Belfast comment that "the old Albert has both the time and the inclination".

Remembering Glasgow - the Divis Tower

Divis Tower, Belfast, 2015

At the time I was in Belfast I decided to shoot this building as it remembered me the big tall buildings in the Glasgow area close to the University. Once I visited one, when I was looking for an apartment, and I remember that the feelings were not nice. These big housing towers are far from the skyscrapers that one can find in the rich financial districts.

These are mainly poor housing build probably with the aim to accommodate a lot of people at low cost.

And each of these building brings with them the sadness reflected in their style....well the Divis Tower is much better than the Glasgows's ones....

This one in Belfast - the Divis Tower - was built in 1966 as part of the now-demolished Divis Flats complex. The tower has 20 floors (oh my God, I remember taking the small lift in the tower of Glasgow and the floors never ended....and then you are up there, but no, no nice view, you are in this small flat and I really felt uncomfortable) and it is 61-metre tall.

The housing complex had 850 flats and was housing 2400 residents (well, and average of almost 3 people per flat...)....the name was given due to the nearby Divis Mountain.

Due to the IRA activity in the area, British Army constructed an observation post on the roof in the 1970s and occupied the top two floors of the building. During the Troubles, access to the post was possible only via helicopter. In that period, the tower was the location of conflicts between Republicans and Unionists.

When the IRA declared to end the armed campaign, the Army decided to dismantle the observation post. Now the post has been converted in residential properties.

Interesting video of the Divis Tower with interview of the architect Frank Robertson, some old photos and more info here.