The city was the birthplace of thousands of vessels, luxury liners and naval warships including RMS Titanic and HMS Belfast; the River Lagan was the main import and export route that connected the city and its wares to the world; thousands of workers were employed by shipbuilders Harland and Wolff and the company’s iconic yellow gantry cranes Samson and Goliath continue to dominate the skyline today.

Support was recently announced for plans to save and restore the Mew Island Lighthouse Optic, a very rare lens which gave the lighthouse its revolving light, and display it in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. This exciting project is one of many to have received National Lottery funding to celebrate our rich maritime heritage. 

Harland and Wolff Headquarters Building and Drawing Offices

A huge £5.7million investment has been awarded for the conservation and regeneration of the former Harland and Wolff Headquarters Building and Drawing Offices in Belfast.  The control centre for the largest shipyard in the world, it was here that Belfast workers created and designed over 1000 ships including the White Star Olympic Class Liners – Olympic, Titanic and Britannic.  The building has been vacant since 1989 and has been considered ‘at risk’ for almost a decade.

The grant will be used to transform the B+ Listed building into an 87-bedroom boutique hotel, with the most historically important rooms - the Drawing Offices, Board Room, Telephony Room and Entrance Lobby - opened for public use. The building will tell the story of Belfast’s industrial heritage, focusing on the authentic spaces and fixtures and fittings that relate to the local shipbuilding industry.

Find out more on the Titanic Foundation's website.

SS Nomadic

As the last remaining White Star Line ship in the world and the tender ship to Titanic, Nomadic’s pedigree is unsurpassed.  Built to carry 1,000 first and second class passengers, her varied past includes time spent in active service during both world wars and a period as a restaurant.  The vessel opened to visitors at Hamilton Dock in 2013 following a £7m restoration (which included a £3.25m grant from HLF).  Visitors can explore her four decks and experience a range of interactive and traditional storytelling techniques which transports them back to 1911 to learn more about Nomadic’s journey and those of the passengers being ferried to Titanic for her ill-fated maiden voyage. 

Read more on the Normadic Belfast website.

MV Confiance

Visitors to the barge MV Confiance will find a dedicated maritime museum which brings to life the story of the River Lagan and Northern Ireland’s rich industrial and maritime heritage.  She was restored by Lagan Legacy with the help of a £624,000 HLF grant and opened to the public in 2011.  Housing a state-of-the-art exhibition, a multi-use heritage and arts space, and a café, visitors can access thousands of artefacts of local maritime heritage including important drawings from Harland and Wolff, physical artefacts, letters and photographs.

HMS Caroline

HMS Caroline is the lone survivor of the Battle of Jutland, the First World War’s longest and strategically most important sea battle.  She is the most significant war ship of the 20th century still afloat and is one of only 200 vessels in the National Historic Fleet.  A £11.5m HLF grant is being used to conserve, interpret and display the historic ship, whose home has been Belfast Harbour for 90 years, transforming her into a world class heritage visitor attraction which aims to open in time for the centenary of the battle on 31 May 2016.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy website has more information on HMS Caroline.