in Places & People

Nostalgic Photos Show Street Scenes and Life in Belfast in 1955

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These incredible vintage photos capture street scenes, shipyards, life, and street styles of Belfast in 1955. The photographs were captured by documentary and press photographer, Bert Hardy.

The population of Belfast in 1955 was around 432,000, and the city was going through an economic downturn. It was the time when trolleybuses ran in the leisurely way through sparse traffic and lamplighters go about at night. Two years later, Tram 357 made its last journey from the Ardoyne Depot to Mountpottinger Depot on Saturday 27 February 1957. By the late-1950s poultry, sardine, and potato companies had set up processing plants along the waterfront. Belfast called itself the “Broiler Capital of the World” and each July thousands came to eat barbecued chicken on Broiler Day.

#1 A man selling books and magazines in the street in Belfast, 1955.

A man selling books and magazines in the street in Belfast, 1955.

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#2 Two men on the quayside at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, 1955.

Two men on the quayside at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, 1955.

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#3 The Belfast City Hall on Donegall Square East in Belfast, June 1955.

The Belfast City Hall on Donegall Square East in Belfast, June 1955.

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#5 A horsedrawn cart crossing a bridge in Belfast, 1955.

A horsedrawn cart crossing a bridge in Belfast, 1955.

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#6 Customers at a news stand opposite the Royal Hippodrome cinema, Victoria Street, Belfast, 1955.

Customers at a news stand opposite the Royal Hippodrome cinema, Victoria Street, Belfast, 1955.

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#7 A view down a street towards the Alhambra Theatre in Lower North Street, 1955.

A view down a street towards the Alhambra Theatre in Lower North Street, 1955.

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#8 A group of children playing with an old bed frame on waste ground in Belfast, 1955.

A group of children playing with an old bed frame on waste ground in Belfast, 1955.

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#11 Two girls on the corner of Little Ship Street, Belfast, 1955.

Two girls on the corner of Little Ship Street, Belfast, 1955.

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#12 Two workmen by the Titanic Memorial outside Belfast City Hall, 1955.

Two workmen by the Titanic Memorial outside Belfast City Hall, 1955.

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#13 A man delivering sacks of coal from a horse and cart, Belfast, 1955.

A man delivering sacks of coal from a horse and cart, Belfast, 1955.

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#14 A group of boys playing football in a Belfast street, 1955.

A group of boys playing football in a Belfast street, 1955.

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#15 A woman with two children stops to look at shipping in a harbour, Belfast, 1955.

A woman with two children stops to look at shipping in a harbour, Belfast, 1955.

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#16 The cargo ship Port Melbourne (right) under construction at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, 1955.

The cargo ship Port Melbourne (right) under construction at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, 1955.

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#17 A horsedrawn cart carrying sacks of potatoes over a bridge in Belfast, 1955.

A horsedrawn cart carrying sacks of potatoes over a bridge in Belfast, 1955.

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#18 Pedestrians walking through an arched gateway in Belfast, 1955.

Pedestrians walking through an arched gateway in Belfast, 1955.

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#19 A boy crouching by a drain in a courtyard, Belfast, 1955.

A boy crouching by a drain in a courtyard, Belfast, 1955.

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#20 Pedestrians on a shopping street, seen through an archway, Belfast, 1955.

Pedestrians on a shopping street, seen through an archway, Belfast, 1955.

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#22 A delivery boy passing a carthorse, Belfast, 1955.

A delivery boy passing a carthorse, Belfast, 1955.

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#23 A group of children on a terraced street in Belfast, 1955.

A group of children on a terraced street in Belfast, 1955.

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#24 The cargo ship Port Melbourne under construction at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, 1955.

The cargo ship Port Melbourne under construction at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, 1955.

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#25 Workers on a lorry at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, 1955

Workers on a lorry at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, 1955

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#26 Workers on a lorry at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, 1955

Workers on a lorry at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, 1955

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#27 A crane loading a truck on the quayside at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, 1955

A crane loading a truck on the quayside at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, 1955

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#28 The cargo ship Foylebank under construction at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, 1955.

The cargo ship Foylebank under construction at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, 1955.

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Written by Aung Budhh

Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life.

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