| By the year 1900 Belfast was growing quickly and | | | | a Liverpool man arrived at this time to organise a |
| was in fact the largest city in Ireland and the twelfth | | | | branch of the National Union of Dockers. |
| largest in the United Kingdom. In 1896 the White Linen | | | | For children the death rate was high due mainly to |
| Hall had been knocked down and was being replaced | | | | typhoid and tuberculosis. Only strong action by the |
| with what is now known as Belfast City Hall. | | | | medical officer Dr H.W.Baillie and the introduction of |
| | | | clean water from the Mourne Mountains finally |
| This new building was considered by the merchants of | | | | eradicated these two dreadful diseases. |
| Belfast to be a much grander affair for such a | | | | Belfast continued to develop with the city boundary |
| growing and booming city. The designer of the City Hall | | | | being ever extended to include middle class suburbs |
| was Alfred Brumwell Thomas, a young London | | | | and areas such as: |
| architect. Under his design the City Hall was built by | | | | - Rosetta |
| H&J Martin and cost at that time almost twice its | | | | - Bloomfield |
| planned budget and a whopping £360,000. This | | | | - The Glen Road |
| prompted an enquiry by the Local Government Board | | | | As these suburbs grew steadily people left the City |
| in Dublin Castle. | | | | Centre and then travelled in and out by tram. The |
| The Portland stone building was opened in 1906 with a | | | | City Centre developed as a commercial centre and |
| rich Italian marble interior and a dome that was 173 | | | | also as a place for entertainment. Buildings such as |
| feet high. At the same time all around the City Hall | | | | the Opera House opened in 1895, and The |
| new and impressive buildings were being erected | | | | Hippodrome also opened its doors around this time. |
| which included the Northern Bank, The Scottish | | | | As far back as 1873 the Alhambra Theatre opened |
| Provident Association and the Ocean Buildings. | | | | and was Belfast's most popular music hall. |
| Various other impressive buildings were opened | | | | The shipyard, rope making and linen were the |
| including Custom House in 1901, the Royal Victoria | | | | mainstay of manufacturing though during the tough |
| Hospital in 1903, and The Mater Hospital in 1900. | | | | recession of 1904/5 life was tough for Belfast citizens. |
| Students of medicine were also taught there. | | | | Belfast did remain the busiest port in Ireland but it |
| Belfast had a population at this time of 350,000 and | | | | depended heavily on the export of linen, rope, tobacco, |
| many of the people lived in kitchen and parlour | | | | tea machinery and various engineering products. |
| terraced houses. The cost of living was high and | | | | Belfast in turn depended completely on Scottish coal |
| living conditions were tough. So tough were they | | | | and ships arrived daily to supply it. |
| they led to the Belfast Dock Strike in 1907. Jim Larkin, | | | | |