Demolition site, Victoria Street, Belfast (1)

Image: © Albert Bridge Taken: 30 Oct 1988

A row of Victorian warehouses stretched, along the eastern side of Victoria Street, from Chichester Street to Ann Street (background, left). Behind them lay Musgrave Street and Townhall Streets – the site of Musgrave Street police station and the back of the Magistrates Court - both prime targets during the bombing campaign. A barracks had been built, for the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), at Musgrave Street, towards the end of the 19th century. It replaced previous establishments in Police Place and Police Square (both streets which, after re-building, became part of a new street called Victoria Square). The RIC barracks subsequently became the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) barracks (later the RUC and now the Police Service of Northern Ireland station). The warehouses had been acquired, in the 1970’s (using emergency legislation) and acted as a security screen for Musgrave Street station, personnel and associated facilities. In this photo they were being prepared for demolition and replacement by a concrete wall. The taking of this (and the others in this series) was illegal and, had I been “caught” (while I doubt whether I would have been prosecuted), I would have expected to have been told to expose the film to daylight. Premises and their occupants (police and non-police) were “legitimate targets” – discretion and common sense were vital when taking any sort of photograph of anything “sensitive”. Continue to Image

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