Newtownbreda

Coordinates: 54°33′36″N 5°54′47″W / 54.560°N 5.913°W / 54.560; -5.913

Newtownbreda is a residential suburb of South-East Belfast, clustered around a small and now largely invisible 18th century village. The Belfast A55 "Outer Ring" dual carriage-way separates Newtownbreda from Belvoir Park Forest and Belvoir housing estate which is largely Northern Ireland Housing Executive supplied housing. This dual carriage-way provides transport links to Belfast city centre, as well as the outskirts of the city.

History

At one time "Newtownbreda" was a small village to the southeast of Belfast. However, it is now part of the Greater Belfast conurbation and Newtownbreda is a descriptor used loosely to describe the a very broad area. It is a largely residential area of private housing.

Notable Buildings

Newtownbreda has several churches including the 18th century Church of Ireland Parish Church, which uses the name of the cool parish Knockbreda and which owes its existence to Arthur Hill from nearby Belvoir Demesne. The church consecrated by Francis Hutchinson, Bishop of Down and Connor, on Sunday 7 August 1737

There is also a 19th century church which serves as home to a Presbyterian Church in Ireland congregation on the southern edges of Newtownbreda in Rosetta. [1] The first service was held on 24th March 1844 and was led by Rev.Henry Cooke (minister), best known today in Belfast because of his statue '‘The Black Man’' at College Square East. [2]

There is also a large modern Baptist church. [3]

The Forestside Shopping Centre was developed by Sainsbury's between 1996 and 1998.[4] Belvoir Park Golf Club is also located nearby.

Modern Newtownbreda

Today, Newtownbreda is very much a residential area of the middle class, with further houses and apartments only being completed within the last few years. [5]

A fast tram service is planned from Knockbracken into Belfast City center to alleviate chronic congestion on the main southerly arterial traffic route into the city. This will be known as the Fast Action Relay Transport.

1992 NIFSL bombing

On 23 September 1992 a Provisional IRA bomb destroyed the Northern Ireland Forensic Science Laboratory (NIFSL) on the Newtownbreda Rd. .[6] The IRA had given a warning, and British Army bomb disposal experts were investigating an abandoned van when the explosion occurred. No people were killed or seriously injured, but forty-two houses were totally destroyed. Over one thousand homes in a radius of 1.5 miles (2.4 km) were damaged.[7][8]

Since

A Tesco store was built on the site next to the NIFSL (on a brownfield site, formerly a Stewarts Warehouse) and opened in 2007.

The Belfast A55 "Outer Ring" dual carriage-way separates Newtownbreda from Belvoir Park Forest and Belvoir housing estate which is largely Northern Ireland Housing Executive-supplied housing. This dual carriage-way provides transport links to Belfast city centre, as well as the outskirts of the city.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.newtownbreda.org
  2. ↑ https://eastbelfasthistory.com/books/newtownbreda/
  3. ↑ http://www.newtownbredabaptist.com
  4. ↑ Morton, Robin (15 September 1998). "Forestside: a new era". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast Telegraph Newspapers Ltd.
  5. ↑ https://www.propertypal.com/property-for-sale/newtownbreda-belfast
  6. ↑ Cowley, Martin (24 September 1992). "Bombing of forensic lab likely to disrupt courts". The Irish Times. The Irish Times.
  7. ↑ John D., Taylor (1 February 1993). "Bomb Damage (Newtownbreda)". Hansard, HC Deb, 01 February 1993, Vol. 218, cc117-24. UK Government. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  8. ↑ "IRA blast damages over 1,000 homes". The Independent. 24 September 1992. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.