Context 156 - September 2018

20 C O N T E X T 1 5 6 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 introduction to their organisation and the Built Heritage at Risk Northern Ireland (BHARNI) project at its office in the Old Museum Building, the first purpose-built museum in Belfast, which is now one of the more than 500 buildings on the at-risk register. The walk took us through the city centre looking at various schemes, from redundant dilapidation to stories of successful re-use. The city showed signs of over three decades of the Troubles, and heavy bombardment during the second world war. However, our guides explained that the city was experiencing fast regeneration, which came with its own threats to the historic built environment. We visited a number of successful conserva- tion projects, including the Tesco store on Royal Avenue, formerly a branch of the Provincial Bank of Ireland, and the Merchant Hotel on Waring Street, the former Ulster Bank headquarters, situated in the eclectic Cathedral Quarter. We also visited a number of sites in redevelop- ment limbo – where they have been saved from demolition but with no future plans. One such case is the iconic art-deco Bank of Ireland build- ing, which fell out of use in 2005. Prominently situated on a corner site and once surrounded by other buildings, the former bank now stands almost alone. From the site visits I was overwhelmed by local community efforts to help save historic build- ings. Almost every building we discussed had been the subject of a campaign to save it. The access to funding and resources for campaigners has been significantly reduced since 2015 when listed building grants were frozen, and funding was reduced from about £4 million to a mere £500,000 for the entire country. I could not omit from this brief review Riddel’s Warehouse on Ann Street, a fantastic building and the highlight of my afternoon. We met the Hearth Historic Building Trust and gained access to its impressive galleried internal space. Delegates being shown Riddel’s Warehouse in Anne Street (right) and (above) its spectacular interior (Photo: Tom Parnell)