St George's Market
The History
St George’s Market was commissioned by the Belfast Corporation (now Belfast City Council). It was built in three phases between 1890 and 1896. Pre-1890 St George’s Market was an open market with stalls similar in style to May’s Market and certainly included a meat market and slaughter house. Its name may have come from St George’s Church in High Street.
Design and Concept
The original open St George’s Market would have been smaller than the 1890 structure. It was designed by the then
city surveyor JC Bretland, architect of the 1896 Fish Market and the new Albert Bridge following its collapse in
the 1880s. Built in red brick with sandstone dressings, external features of St George’s include Roman pedimented
arches with Latin and Irish mottos. The latin motto, Pro Tanto Quid Retribuamus
, means for so much what shall
we give in return?
and the Irish motto, Lámh Dearg na hÉireann
, means Red Hand of Ireland
. The central portico
contains the Belfast Coat of Arms.
Traders
Many of St George’s current stall holders have had close connections with the Markets area down the years. Some have lived there and their families have traded at St George's and other markets for at least three generations.
Renovation and restoration
St George’s Market was originally built for the sale of butter, eggs, poultry and fruit. But by the 1980s, it had developed into a general market. It was the last of Belfast's thriving Victorian markets. Increasing maintenance costs, changes to hygiene regulations and its ’once a week usage’ had prompted us to consider other uses for the listing building. However, a vigorous campaign spearheaded by us and backed by traders and the general public resulted in a Heritage Lottery Fund backed £3.5 million refurbishment programme assisted by the Environment and Heritage Agency.
During the two year restoration period, we aimed to reinstate St George’s elegant, yet practical Victorian character. Brick and stonework had deteriorated badly and the original drawings were used to plan the restoration programme. The unusaully sized bricks were specially produced in England. Blaxter stone was used to complement the original Glasgow made Giffnock stonework. The Bangor Blue slate and glass roof has been reinstated. The cast iron columns and and exterior gates have been sandblasted and painted in the original holly green.
Inside, the painted white brickwork has been maintained and whilst the flooring was probably cobbled, today's concrete version retains St George's utilitarian design. Exact replicas of the original Victorian shops have been designed and installed on the Oxford Street frontage using architectual drawings.
The renovated St George’s Market opened its doors on 14 May 1999.