Stormont: is home to the Northern Ireland Assembly and was opened in November 1932. In World War II it was painted black using bitumen and cow manure to disguise it from enemy planes. The statue to Edward Carson in the grounds dominates the driveway. Carson resisted Irish Home Rule and drafted a constitution for provisional Unionist government for Ulster.
The Thompson Pump House: is where the Titanic had its final fit out. The pump house was built between 1885 and 1889 and used to serve both the Thompson and Alexandra Graving Docks. The pumping engines, deep within the building, could empty a full dock of 23 million gallons of water in 110 minutes.
The Thompson Graving Dock: was built between 1903 and 1911 for the White Star liners and then enlarged for the Titanic. When it was finished it was the largest in the world. When the Titanic was fitted out there was only 8 inches to spare between the ship and the sides of the dock.
Samson and Goliath: These two giant shipbuilding cranes still dominate the Belfast skyline even though they are decommissioned. Samson is 106 metres tall and Goliath is 96 metres, they both can lift 840 tonnes each. A few years ago a local radio station announced that an American company had bought the cranes and were going to move them to Las Vegas to be part of a Titanic themed hotel complex. Many locals were up in arms over this and complained vociferously. The cranes were granted landmark status, but not before the radio station announced that it was an April Fool’s joke and the cranes weren’t going anywhere.
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