136 - 142 Great Victoria Street, BT2 7DL
About 136 - 142 Great Victoria Street
136 - 142 Great Victoria Street is a four-story building with frontages on both Great Victoria Street and Dublin Road. It was designed by Tony Houston of Houston & Beaumont Architects, Lurgan, for Ulster Bank Ltd.
Originally, this site was home to the Magdalene School House, constructed in 1853 by Sir Charles Lanyon. Serving as a Sunday school and church hall for St. Mary Magdalene Parish Church on Donegall Pass, the schoolhouse was notable for its distinctive square pinnacled tower and gabled façade facing Shaftesbury Square. Due to increasing traffic and its distance from the church, the building was sold in 1919 and subsequently demolished, making way for a block of shops.
Shafesbury Arcade, a two storey building with ground floor retail units on Great Victoria Street and Dublin Road, was built on the site. Shafesbury Arcade was demolished c1963.
In 1960, a new structure was erected on this site to serve as the Shaftesbury Square branch of Ulster Bank. The bank occupied the ground floor, with offices above, from its opening in 1964 until its closure on June 14, 2013. A notable feature of this building was the installation of two aluminum sculptures titled 'Airborne Men' by renowned artist Dame Elisabeth Frink. Commissioned in 1961, these artworks became affectionately known locally as 'Draft' and 'Overdraft'. Following the bank's closure, the sculptures were gifted to the Ulster Museum in 2023 to ensure their preservation and continued public accessibility.
After the bank ceased operations, the building underwent changes to accommodate new uses. In October 2015, Ulster Bank Ltd submitted a planning application (LA04/2015/1274/F) proposing conversion of the ground floor from a bank to office space (Class B1(a) Business use), installation of a new generator housing on the roof, and external modifications to the Great Victoria Street façade. This application was approved in March 2016.
In January 2025, Street Soccer NI submitted a planning application (LA04/2025/0035/F) proposing to convert the ground floor office space into a retail area (charity shop) and a community drop-in centre. Additionally, the proposals include repurposing the first and second floors from office space to community use, incorporating classrooms, game areas, and social spaces.
Project Information
Floors
4
Planning References
LA04/2025/0035/FLA04/2025/0035/F
Loading
Transcendental Meditation Centre
Updated a year ago
The TM (Transcendental Meditation) Centre is located on Townsend Street, a thoroughfare in Belfast that features a mix of residential and commercial properties. 56-58 Townsend Street was previously an urban brownfield site, which was covered by hard surfaces used for parking in the early 2000s. Prior to this the site was an end-terrace dwelling, and had been from the 19th century, prior to which the site was undeveloped.
Belfast Stories
Updated 5 months ago
The Belfast Stories project is a major cultural development in Belfast city centre. Spearheaded by Belfast City Council, and part-funded through the Belfast Region City Deal, the development is scheduled to be completed by 2030 and will transform a key urban site on Royal Avenue and North Street into a multi-purpose cultural and tourism destination. This development represents a critical urban regeneration initiative and is located on a historically significant portion of the city that has experienced substantial physical and social decline over recent decades.
Nancy Mulligans Bar
Updated a year ago
Nancy Mulligans operates as a public house and kitchen, offering live sports, music, casual dining, and evening entertainment. Located within a densely built city centre block, the building is part of a continuous terrace of historic-style structures typical of Castle Street.
