Four Star Hotel Announced For Titanic Buildings

A new four star hotel is to be built in the derelict Harland and Wolff Drawing Offices where the RMS Titanic was designed in Belfast, following a £4.9m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Harland and Wolff Headquarters Building and Drawing Offices on Queen’s Island were the control centre for the largest shipyard in the world.

Over 1,000 ships were designed in the building, including the White Star Olympic Class Liners – Olympic, Titanic and Britannic and naval warships such as HMS Belfast. The Harland and Wolff building has been vacant since 1989.

100 jobs are expected to be created through the restoration of the B+ listed building into an 84-bedroom hotel.

The Lottery grant will focus on developing the two offices as spaces for public use.

The grant has been awarded through HLF’s Heritage Enterprise programme.

Paul Mullan, Head of HLF Northern Ireland, said: "This is an exciting project that will see one of Belfast’s most historic buildings reborn as a major tourist destination. This, like many of the city’s historic buildings, has incredible potential to act as a driver of regeneration and economic growth. With Heritage Enterprise, HLF is helping local businesses tap into that potential by covering the high costs of restoring vacant and underused heritage buildings – making them fit-for-purpose as commercial, and therefore sustainable, spaces."

Kerrie Sweeney, Chief Executive of Titanic Foundation, said: "Titanic Foundation in partnership with Titanic Quarter Ltd has been working on this project over the last two years. It has been a long process but worth it. With HLF’s support we will safeguard the drawing offices for future generations and unlock the commercial potential of the entire building as a boutique hotel with heritage at its core. This is a truly unique and authentic project for Belfast that could not have happened without the support from Heritage Enterprise Scheme."

(IT/MH)