IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Rugby Avenue, BELFAST, BT7 1RD

The not so common white-on-black street sign at the Rugby Avenue end of Jerusalem Street Image

See Image A short entry – also off Carmel Street and not shown on the Google map.

See Image Carmel Street is another of the streets in the “Holy Land”. This is the western side seen from Agincourt Avenue Image looking towards Rugby Avenue. A classic Belfast street of red-brick terraced houses. See also Image and Image.

See Image Another of the streets in the “Holy Land”. The view is towards Rugby Avenue.

The vast majority of these houses are multi-occupancy rooming houses for university students.

A mainly Victorian Street running from Rugby Road to the Ormeau Road. This is the northern side from the corner of Carmel Street. Its history can be illustrated using old street directories. 1877 there was just one house “Rodgers, John, manager Henry Matier & Co [Henry Matier & Co., cambric handkerchief and linen manufacturers and merchants, 10 Waring Street]”. 1880 three houses “1. Rodgers, John, manager 2. Leitch, Matthew, professor of Biblical Criticism 3. Rodgers, Dr. John, professor of sacred rhetoric & catechetics [the branch of theology dealing with the instruction given to Christians before baptism or confirmation.]”. 1890 “Botanic Avenue to Caledonia Street no houses in this avenue”. Possibly some demolition work had taken place. In 1901 some houses were still under construction but the completed and occupied odds numbered 65-141 and the evens 26-172.

One from before the recession – the closed “Agincourt Stores” at the corner of Jerusalem Street (left) and Agincourt Avenue.

Part of a mural depicting the golfer Rory McIlroy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rory_McIlroy , painted recently by Danny Devenny, at the Agincourt Avenue end of Damascus Street. See also Image

Two KX100 telephone boxes at the University Avenue end of Carmel Street. The background gives a clue to the overall grottiness and run-down feel to the general area between University Street and the Ormeau Road – a mixed locality of students, drop-outs, east European, Middle-Eastern and north African immigrants living in privately-rented houses (many of multiple occupation) and flats. There might even be a few native Belfastyins left but I doubt it.

Graffiti, on a shutter door, at 102 University Avenue (corner of Dudley Street). Note the old pre ”90” prefix telephone number.