This once bustling residential area was home to Belfast’s dockers, merchant sailors and immigrant workers, and was where Belfast’s first commercial shipbuilders were established.
Today, the deconsecrated St. Joseph’s Church and historic American Bar remain as community anchors.
The area is both a maritime and an urban waterfront located close to the city centre and Ulster University. It could be a place of community gathering and activated public spaces underpinned by the area’s cultural heritage.
Focus areas: Sailortown’s Water’s Edge; Barrow Square
A new pedestrian and cycle bridge from Titanic Quarter to Sailortown would improve sustainable travel options and increase east-west permeability across the River Lagan and provide a wider circular waterfront.
Activation of Barrow Square through the introduction of semi-permanent market stalls and a new community led market would complement existing community led projects such as St. Joseph’s Church, the thriving American Bar and newly furbished Seaton’s Bar as well as planned residential developments for the area. This would serve the local community, employees of nearby businesses and add a new destination to Belfast.
Through additional public realm improvements and rationalisation of car parking, a high-quality connection from the waterfront back into Sailortown can be established.
Sailortown and Clarendon Docks are both a maritime and an urban waterfront that is well connected to City Centre and Ulster University. The waterfront promenade can be a place of community gathering, activated public spaces, and lively water uses underpinned by the historic dry docks and cultural heritage.
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