Street lamps shedding light on Belfast's political past and present

It is not just the Christmas lights which are shining in Belfast city centre this festive season but two old street lamps from the last century.

The ornate lamps are steeped in political history, as up until the mid 1990s they moved from street to street depending on where the sitting Lord Mayor was living.

They were then put permanently outside the Ulster Hall on Bedford Street and have now been refurbished.

Ulster Unionist Reg Empey, now Lord Empey, was one of the last mayors to have the lamp-posts installed, outside his home in east Belfast.

He is delighted that someone had the bright idea to repair the lights.

"They are lovely to look at and I think they add to the quality of the city," he said.

Lord Empey, who was Lord Mayor in 1989 and 1993, remembers the tradition ending in the mid-1990s.

He said: "Lord Mayors were no longer elected for three-year terms and the make-up of the council changed radically.

"Not everybody had big houses to put them outside, and neither had a lot of people the inclination."

One of those who turned down the offer of the lamp-posts was the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) councillor Sammy Wilson in 1986.

However, it was more for practical than political reasons.

"I lived in a wee terrace house in east Belfast. The lamps would have taken up half the width of the footpath, they would have looked ridiculous," said Wilson.

"The tradition started when Lord Mayors lived in fairly opulent circumstances with big houses and driveways up to them.

"I'm glad to see that the lamps haven't been scrapped because they are beautiful pieces of work."

Corrosion, flaking paint and out-dated electrics meant the lamps outside the Ulster Hall were in need of an overhaul.

Thousands of people walk past the street lights every day on their way to offices, shops, restaurants, cafes or hotels.

However, few may know the long history behind the tall lamp-posts.

Dating back to the early 1900s, it became a tradition in Belfast that the Lord Mayor was entitled to have the status symbol of two ornamental lamp-posts outside their home.

There are pictures of the distinctive gold-coloured posts in various parts of the city over the decades.

There was more than one set of lamp-posts in order to ensure a smooth transition from one mayor to another.

The lamp-posts which have survived are painted black. One pair is outside the Ulster Hall, another is at the front gates of Belfast City Hall.

Before the mid-1970s, Lord Mayors tended to serve for more than one year which meant the lamp-posts did not have to be installed in different places every year.

However, once the top position started to change annually it become more difficult and more expensive.

The current Lord Mayor, Tracy Kelly, was at a ceremony to mark their restoration.

She said: "They have such a rich history and seeing them restored really brings that story to life."

The lamp-posts shed light on Belfast's present and its past.

They are decorated with symbols representing Belfast including a spinning wheel, a ship and seahorses plus the historic Belfast Corporation crest.

The repair work was organised by the Linen Quarter Business Improvement District.

Its managing director Chris McCracken said: "By investing in projects like this, we hope to create a district that honours its past while looking confidently to the future, where heritage and modern life can co-exist."