“The fear was that it was gone forever, so it’s great that this hasn’t been the outcome.”
A historic street sign in South Belfast that went missing a number of weeks ago has been recovered half a mile away.
The tiled Ravenhill Road sign, which is more than 100 years old, was reported missing last month after it disappeared from its installed location. The disappearance sparked concerns that the sign had been stolen, something that has happened to other historic signs in the area.
SDLP Botanic councillor Gary McKeown had raised concerns regarding the missing sign and has now said it was recovered half a mile from where it disappeared.
He said that unlike its neighbouring sign for the Ormeau Road, the Ravenhill Road sign did not have listed protection.
He said: “I’m very relieved that the old tiled Ravenhill Road street sign which disappeared a number of weeks ago has been located and recovered. The fear was that it was gone forever, so it’s great that this hasn’t been the outcome. I’m now making arrangements to return it to the council for reinstallation.
“This sign is over 100 years old, and is showing evidence of wear and tear. I brought a proposal through Belfast City Council to develop a programme of restoration and protection of Belfast’s iconic black tiled signs, which has been taken forward and just awaits funding. I’ve asked for this project to be expedited as these signs are an integral part of our city.
“I also discovered that unlike a similar sign for the Ormeau Road which was right beside this one, it doesn’t have listed protection, so I’ve got confirmation now that it will now be formally assessed for listing. Of course, it needs to be reinstalled for this to happen, so the sooner this is done, the better.”
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login