Estrassa

THE SHAFTESBURY SQUARE END OF GREAT VICTORIA STREET HAS SEEN BETTER DAYS

There were two items that I wanted photograph. One was an Asian Restaurant by the name of “Hungry ?” but a “For Sale” sign blocked my view of the signage. The other was a shop that had been taken over by plants that had been left in the shop window. But it is now part of a site surrounded by steel supports and hoarding. Nearly forgot to mention that the name of the business was Estrassa and I have a feeling that it might have been a restaurant rather than a shop.

I was in the general area as I was planning to photograph Shaftesbury Square, which I thought was a public park, but I eventually discovered that there is no entity that could be described as a square and that it is an area that was once described as the crowning glory of Belfast’s “golden mile” which stretched from Lisburn Road along the full length of Great Victoria Street.

In recent decades there has been a steady decline and the area is now noted for its empty premises and dilapidated facades. I must admit that I have visited the area many times but was unaware of its past reputation as a place to be visited.