Curious Hidden Features

A walk around Cathedral Quarter in Belfast will uncover a wealth of curious hidden features if you care to look for them.   For a photographer, like myself, seeking moments of stillness paired with unexpected detail, the city rewards those who wander off the beaten track and keep their eyes open.  These forgotten alleyways adorned with fading signage are often overlooked by tourists, they offer glimpses into the city's industrial past, creating an evocative backdrop for storytelling through the lens.

Commercial Court - is that someone being attacked?

Commercial Court - notice the traditional Belfast sinks.

Beanbag Cinema? A noval idea!

Interesting sign above the door.

Est 1794 - Humane Female Society for the Relief of Lying In Women.

I was aware that there was a lying in maternity hospital in this entry in days gone bye, but I never noticed this sign before reminding us of the history of this place.

Winecellar Entry and a discarded disposable cup.

Colourful Joy's Entry

Henry's Pub, Joy's Entry, peering through the window.

Joy's Entry - ever tried photographing black on black?

Wilson's Entry - a cheery thought!

“As you lived you must die/An’ your last gasp or cry/Will be heard very likely by none/Not one/You unfortunate devil, Maglone.” – Robert A. Wilson.”

Wilson was a Donegal man who, after some time in America, worked for newspapers in Enniskillen and Belfast. He was most famous under the pen-name “Barney Maglone” as the author of ‘To My Cousin In Amerikay’ and ‘Barney Maglone’s Notions Of Things’ 

North Street - still a commercial desert.

The Assembly Rooms - a list building in need of care.

Following the Irish rebellion of 1798, the rebel leader Henry Joy McCracken was court-martialled and convicted of treason in this building and sentenced to death.

This concluded my walk around Cathedral Quarter and I finished up in High Street for a deserved cup of tea and a scone.

Photographing Belfast’s curious features isn’t about capturing landmarks, it’s about observing the poetry in the overlooked.  In the city’s quieter places, its true character reveals itself—subtle, weathered, and quietly extraordinary.