Projects
Mayoral lamp posts
LQ BID restores Victorian era Mayoral lamp posts
As part of our ongoing efforts to celebrate built heritage across the District, the pair of highly decorative Victorian-era Mayoral lamp posts were restored thanks to an investment by Linen Quarter BID as part of its ongoing programme to celebrate and protect the district’s-built heritage.
This project is part of the BID’s wider mission to invest in placemaking and heritage-led regeneration, protecting and celebrating the character of the Linen Quarter while improving public spaces.
The distinctive lamps, which stand outside the historic Ulster Hall, have an intriguing civic past. For much of the twentieth century, ornate lamp posts like these were installed outside the official residences of Belfast’s Lord Mayors, whether that was on the Shankill Road, Andersonstown or Malone Park. The tradition gradually fell out of favour as the role of Lord Mayor rotated annually and practicalities made it difficult to move such large pieces. By the late 1990s, the surviving posts were relocated to civic locations, with this pair finding a permanent home outside the Ulster Hall.
Each column is rich in symbolism. Seahorses, long associated with Belfast, wrap around the base, while four modelled putti (cherubic male figures) above celebrate the city’s trades: one with a book for arts and learning, one with mason’s tools for construction, one holding a ship for shipbuilding, and one – facing Ulster Hall – with a spinning wheel to represent Linen. The lanterns carry the historic Belfast Corporation crest, and there is evidence that parts of the posts were once gilded to catch the light.
However, corrosion, flaking paint, and outdated electrics meant the lamps had fallen into disrepair. LQ BID commissioned specialist contractors to carry out a full restoration. The works included careful rust removal, complete repainting in traditional black with gilded highlights, renewal of the lantern tops, and full rewiring with new LED fittings to ensure the lights were both beautiful and energy efficient.
By preserving these ornate lamp posts, LQ BID is not only ensuring that a unique piece of Belfast’s civic story continues to illuminate the city for decades to come, but is also laying the groundwork for a larger 2026 project, in partnership with Belfast City Council and the Department for Communities, when the façade of the Ulster Hall will be repainted and enhanced with new LED lighting.
The lamp posts were officially unveiled by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tracy Kelly on the 5th November 2025, alongside an actor portraying Belfast’s first Lord Mayor, Sir Daniel Dixon, who held the post an extraordinary seven times between 1892 and 1906 – a record in the city’s history.
