Robert M Chapple, Archaeologist

< 3D Images | Part I | Part II | Part IV | Part V | Part VI > After leaving Templemore Avenue Baths, I headed home for some sustenance – heritage appreciation is hungry work! After some mild enquiries, I was sufficiently reassured that no burning desire resided within the Chapples Minor to accompany me, so I sallied forth to see the beautiful Harland and Wolff Drawing Offices in the company of my father-in-law, Dave. I’d been to the Drawing Offices once before, when the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow came to Belfast. Then it was filled to capacity with people clutching their treasured possessions, hoping for a glimpse of Fiona Bruce and her giant head (honestly, it’s enormous and completely dwarfs her body … but I digress …). On this occasion it was much less crowded, but those of us there were more interested in the building itself, rather than the prospective values of the various knickknacks found when cleaning out grandmother’s house … From the front, H&W’s Headq...

For fellow connoisseurs of 3D images, I offer a small selection of my efforts here. Click for larger images. A catalogue of similar images on this blog is available: here . Back to main post > Back to main post >

< 3D Images | Part I | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI > After leaving St Mark’s, I headed for Templemore Avenue Public Baths and Swimming Pools. This is another building that I pass close to on a regular basis, travelling to and from work, but had never ventured inside. Time to change that! Even in the late 1800s, many working class homes in east Belfast didn’t have what are today regarded as basic sanitary requirements, such as plumbed baths. To meet that need Templemore Avenue opened in 1893, and was one of four such public baths in Belfast, regularly serving thousands of local residents every week, including workers from the Harland & Wolff shipyards and the Sirocco Works etc . As domestic facilities improved, the need for such public baths waned and, by the early 1980s, the centre faced closure before being rescued by a voluntary committee. The portion of the centre currently open to the public includes a 25 yard pool, gymnasium, and sauna. However, q...