Westfield CastleCourt
Encyclopedia
Westfield CastleCourt is a shopping centre on Royal Avenue in Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. It is Northern Ireland
's second largest shopping centre after Foyleside in Derry City. and has approximately 16 million visits a year. Sale densities at Westfield CastleCourt rank in the top 10% in the country.
.The prestigious nature of the development made it a target for the Provisional IRA
; the centre was bombed five times during its construction, four times after it opened, and suffered incendiary bomb
attacks.It is now the third largest shopping complex in Northern Ireland after the construction of the new Victoria Square shopping centre; which is also located in Belfast and Foyleside
,Derry.
54°36′1"N 5°55′53"W
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It is Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
's second largest shopping centre after Foyleside in Derry City. and has approximately 16 million visits a year. Sale densities at Westfield CastleCourt rank in the top 10% in the country.
History
The centre was built by John Laing on the site of the former Grand Central HotelGrand Central Hotel, Belfast
The Grand Central Hotel, on Royal Avenue in Belfast, Northern Ireland, opened in 1893. The building existed as a hotel until 1972, when it was taken over by the British Army as a military base from which to patrol the city centre during the height of the Troubles.The hotel contained around 200...
.The prestigious nature of the development made it a target for the Provisional IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
; the centre was bombed five times during its construction, four times after it opened, and suffered incendiary bomb
Incendiary device
Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices or incendiary bombs are bombs designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using materials such as napalm, thermite, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus....
attacks.It is now the third largest shopping complex in Northern Ireland after the construction of the new Victoria Square shopping centre; which is also located in Belfast and Foyleside
Foyleside Shopping Centre
Foyleside Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's largest shopping centre and won the NIRSC "Best Shopping centre in Northern Ireland" award. Construction started in the early 1990s and the centre opened in 1995...
,Derry.
External links
54°36′1"N 5°55′53"W