The Titanic Memorial Garden sits in a quiet corner of the grounds of Belfast City Hall.
I found myself there a few weeks ago, on a bright Tuesday afternoon, completely by chance. I realised, rather embarrassingly, that I’d never been there before.
And so, instead of simply walking on through, I stopped for a while to learn a little more about this quiet, reflective space in the centre of the city.
The Titanic Memorial Garden
The garden sits over two levels.
The lower level is a grassed terrace surrounding a white marble monument, while the upper level has a long memorial plinth carrying the names of those who lost their lives when RMS Titanic sank in April 1912.
The garden itself officially opened on 15 April 2012, exactly 100 years after the sinking of Titanic. It was created around the existing Titanic monument, which had already stood in the grounds of Belfast City Hall for many years.
I wandered around a little more, taking in the backdrop of City Hall and the lovely garden.
The Titanic Memorial monument
The white marble monument at the centre of the lower terrace was designed by the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock.
It was originally unveiled in 1920 in the roadway in front of Belfast City Hall. The monument was later moved into the City Hall grounds in 1960, where it now stands surrounded by the memorial garden.
The sculpture is quite striking. It depicts a female figure representing Death or Fate looking down on two sea nymphs who are raising the body of a drowned sailor from the waves.
Interestingly, the original monument did not list all of the people who died on Titanic. It recorded the names of the 22 local people who were believed at the time to have died in the disaster.
The Titanic Memorial Garden – The Marble Statue
The Titanic Memorial Garden plaques
The upper level of the garden contains a nine-metre-long memorial plinth.
Fifteen bronze plaques sit in it, listing the names of all 1,512 people who died when Titanic sank — passengers and crew — in alphabetical order.
This makes the Titanic Memorial Garden particularly significant. It is the first memorial anywhere in the world to record the names of all the people who died in the disaster on one monument.
The list includes people from all walks of life — passengers, crew, musicians and others who were on board.
Standing there and looking at all those names brings home just how many individual lives were lost that night.
A garden of remembrance
The garden itself is surprisingly peaceful considering that it is right in the centre of Belfast.
The planting is carefully designed too, with pretty daisies, hellebores and bulbs in spring, followed by roses and Japanese anemones in summer and autumn.
There was something rather lovely about the contrast between the busy city outside the gates and this quiet little space inside.
A place to reflect
The Titanic and its sinking form such a huge part of Belfast’s history.
And so it seems rather fitting that there is a place like this, right in the centre of the city, where you can stop for a while and reflect on that fateful night.
Amidst the noise and hubbub of Belfast, the garden is a tranquil space. You can sit for a while, look at the names and remember the people behind the numbers.
I found myself remembering my grandad, who painted a few ships in Belfast in his time.
Perhaps that’s what makes places like this so important. They give us somewhere to pause and remember people we never knew. It also makes us think about the people and stories that are part of our own lives.
If you visit Belfast, (and I hope you do), I do recommend a visit to the Titanic Memorial Garden.
It may only take a few minutes to walk around, but I think you’ll find yourself staying a little longer.
Paula
You can find out more about the Titanic Memorial Garden on this website.
Thanks for stopping by,
Paula
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