Book Description

By the latter half of the nineteenth century industrial expansion had made Belfast the fastest growing town in the UK. Suburb after suburb sprang up to house the workers for new industries such as shipbuilding, machine manufacturing and linen production, and to service these new areas it soon became clear that transport was needed to take these workers to their places of employment. At first horse-trams were used with a number of different companies in operation, but in 1905 the entire system was taken over by the Belfast Corporation and electrified. The book takes up the story from there and provides a history of the system until the last trams were replaced by motor buses in 1954. Fifty-four period photographs are included - many very rare - showing the city in the days when streets were empty of traffic except for trams and horse-drawn vehicles. The photographs also showcase the changes that have taken place to the city's architecture over the years and show many long-departed buildings - such as the old LMS railway station and Robb's five-storey department store.