Donegall Street, one of Belfast’s most popular streets, was beaming with business grandeur. Between the linen industry and big names in news reporting, Donegall Street had a lot to brag about in the 1930s. One of those Belfast’s linen manufacturers that sat on Donegall Street, the Brookfield Linen Company Limited, had just lost their main sales building to a massive fire— a major blow to the area. However, the space did not sit empty for long, as the North Street Arcade soon would make its way into that very same spot.
Though the history of shopping arcades are heavily under researched, there is no doubt they have a historical and social significance, especially in public memory. Since the 1800s, arcades were once a common sight in many cities around the world, offering a covered public space for typically small businesses to come together. Belfast’s very own North Street Arcade lives on in many local memories still to this day. Chances are, you, your parents, or your grandparents may have some recollections of this once prominent Arcade.
After the involuntary liquidation of the Brookfield Linen Company building on Donegall Street (which was discussed in part I of this blog series), the location was up for grabs, but not for long. Local Belfast designers Benjamin Cowser and Valentine Smyth, who formed a partnership in 1935, were the masterminds behind the design of The Arcade.[1]
Cowser & Smyth designed the striking arcade in an art deco style that dominated the early 1900s. After the First World War, many people’s worldviews had shifted, and people wanted designs that were new but still retained echoes of the past. Art deco was that in between of old and new, merging ancient and futuristic designs. Though it may not be the architectural style Belfast is known for, multiple prominent art deco buildings that are still present in Belfast today are in the inner north of the city. The Bank of Ireland building and the Sinclair building (which may be familiar to many as the Caffe Nero on the corner of North Street) are just some examples you may pass by on the daily. By 1936, with three stories, grand entrances, and huge metal framed windows, the site was nearly ready to welcome its first shoppers.
By 1938, the North Street Arcade was up and running. With a passageway running from North Street to Donegall Street, two of Belfast’s most important streets of the time, the North Street Arcade was an immediate success. Just across the street from the Belfast Newsletter, alongside its journalism and linen prominence, Donegall Street now had an attraction to draw in larger, modern crowds. Initially opening with 29 shops, and with highlights made with luxurious materials like marble, granite, and bronze, this Arcade was a sight of beauty to behold. The most bold feature of them all was the large glass panels that covered the top of the building, giving it natural lighting and an airy, open-feel.
Aside from a few jewellery shop robberies here and there, the North Street Arcade ran business as usual for many years. Even in 1941 during the Belfast Blitz, business at the Arcade seemed to operate as usual, with advertisements still running in the newspapers trying to encourage small businesses to have their new shopfront be at the newly-built Arcade amidst the destruction.
“Of recent months the North Street Arcade has been ‘discovered’, by businessmen and shopkeepers, some of whom have had, of necessity, to change their headquarters as a result of enemy action, and all, since taking possession of their smart, new shops, have been pleased by the attractiveness and brightness of their premises and also with the central position in the city which the arcade offers”.
Belfast Newsletter, 1 July 1941.
The Arcade then saw a huge influx of shop owners becoming tenants there, as the Blitz drove many to try find new spaces that were not destroyed to be able to continue business. Going to the Arcade also helped many to find some semblance of normality in a city still reeling from the Blitz.
Like many shopping centres, the North Street Arcade saw many changes over the years. The 1940s had an eclectic set of tenants with medical herbalists, art galleries, and opticians. In the 1950s and 60s when the craze around the newly-created credit card changed shopping habits, and department stores became more common, the arcade became the home of an evangelical outreach centres, and a rubber rainwear company could all be found under the same roof. As worldwide change ensued in all aspects of life in the 1970s, a fur coat store, a travel company, and a colour TV rental store were all once at the Arcade. In the 80s, when malls all over the world were at their peak, a dance wear shop, a video rental shop, and hair salons were all the rage at the Arcade. In the 90s and early 2000s as the new millennium ushered more indie music and shops back to Belfast, and the North Street Arcade became well known as a arts and culture hub, with art galleries, a women’s centre[3], and vinyl and cd shops donning the shopfronts.
Though business may have gone on as somewhat-usual during The Troubles, the Arcade and Donegall Street as a whole saw many tragedies during this tumultuous period. On the 20th of February in 1972, on lower Donegall Street, a car bomb killed 7 people and wounded 146. This was considered one of the worst in terms of civilian casualties amidst The Troubles, and is still prominent in the memory of many who remember this time period in Belfast. Far fewer may remember the North Street Arcade itself was also bombed, with 4 people killed, including the two bombers and two civilians workers at the Arcade and with them over 20 were injured. These instances deeply affected people coming to Donegall Street, especially the North Street Arcade, for a while. During The Troubles, there was very little “life as usual” without conflict nearby, and those who went to the North Street Arcade saw just how difficult it was to try to carry on daily tasks without fear. The Arcade, though, was a source for many to find a sense of normalcy and entertainment even amidst the checkpoints, as folks still went on to buy their colour tv’s and fur coats.
The Arcade survived The Troubles, but its popularity and revenue began declining towards the 2000s. People started looking elsewhere to shop with the rise of massive chain stores becoming more and more popular. A fire broke out Saturday night on the 17th of April 2004 that completely devastated the building and all the businesses inside, and they never rebuilt, marking the end of the Donegall Street Arcade. Luckily, no one was hurt, though all the animals in the pet shop died. This loss was devastating for many— art gallery owners lost years of work, rare vinyls were lost to flames, all shop owners had lost virtually everything and were forced to relocate and struggled to get business back up and running— it was a crushing loss. It was a loss felt not only for the shop owners, but for the arts community and the larger Belfast community as well. The building smoldered for days as heartbroken people from all walks of life in Belfast looked on. On the 22nd of April 2004, days after the fire had broken out, the Belfast News wrote:
“Fire crews remained at the scene yesterday as the Cathedral Quarter building continued to smoulder. Traders are due to meet again today to discuss the way forward”.
Belfast Newsletter, 21st May 2004
The fire was believed to be arson, though no official police report has confirmed as such. Shortly after (in 2004 and 2005), many voiced their hopes that a reopening of the arcade would happen. Some, though, also believed the idea of reopening after the disastrous fire was but a fantasy. As previous arcade shop owner John McAfee stated for the Belfast Newsletter in 2005:
“‘If it was restored I would love to move back in, but I think that’s a pie in the sky. I don’t think that will ever happen now.’”
Belfast Newsletter, 16 April 2005
As of 2025, John McAfee was correct! Multiple redevelopment projects and calls for a restored Arcade have come about since then over the last couple decades, though these attempts have not made it past the planning stages.
The basic structure of the building remains intact today. Even the art deco facade still remains intact after the calamitous flames raged inside. The beautiful glass panels that once adorned the ceiling and were such an integral feature of the arcade when it first opened are now gone. Ivy and trees continue to sprout out of the ground where shoppers once strolled along. The former North Street Arcade is now listed on the Ulster Architectural Heritage’s “At Risk” list, marking the building derelict and in great need of care:
The Donegall Street Arcade was built in 1936 by the architectural firm of Cowser and Smyth. It was built on the site of a linen warehouse designed by W H Lynn. One remnant of the Brookfield Linen warehouse has survived at the site; a relief plaque, depicting eight workers spinning flax, was rescued from the demolished building and was installed at the Donegall Street entrance in 1938 (Irish Builder, pp 113-134).
The structure became a trendy part of the town and was filled with small independent shops and cafes. The site now is tragically overlooked and forgotten about and lies totally open to the elements.
UAHS Heritage at Risk Officer, Sebastian Graham.
The Donegall street location saw two major fires that devastated both its first Brookfield Linen Company Limited building and then its North Street Arcade. Belfast Arcade shop owners looked to rely on its community after the fire, leaning on one another for support. As we can see even today, the North Street Arcade, now embellished in a mural (emblematic of Belfast), is covered in history as the Brookfield Linen Co. Ltd. relief still remains above the now boarded up doorway— echoes of its former glories. It stands now as a symbol of a spirit of hope and remembrance arising from the ashes in Belfast, a resilient and dignified city. As someone who is a visitor to Belfast, and is seeing the city for the first time, I see all the beauty and treasure troves of history this city has to offer, and this Arcade is a fantastic example of just that.
The North Street Arcade still lives on in many local Belfast hearts and memories. If you or someone you know has any memories you would like to share about the beloved arcade, please contact us at archiveproject@nbheritagecluster.org and let us know.
About the Author:
Brooke Norgaard is a MA student at Queen’s University Belfast in the Public History program. She obtained her undergraduate degree in History at the University of Sioux Falls with a focus in history teaching. Her focus areas are women’s history, the Salem Witch Trials, dark tourism, and carceral history. Norgaard has spent years working at various history museums in the United States and is currently an intern for the North Belfast Heritage Cluster. All research has been conducted to a high academic standard and has been fully referenced. If you would like to know more about a story or piece of research, or if you wish to tell us about your own story, email us at: archiveproject@nbheritagecluster.org
[1] Cowser & Smyth, as they called themselves, were designers until both of them paused their work to fight in the Second World War. Eventually, in 1951 and after surviving WWII, they once again reunited as a duo in 1951 until eventual retirement in the mid 1960s.