I walk down Hill Street everyday I come to university, however I never really take in what businesses are located there and the contents of the street. I took a walk down it, taking photos to try and get an idea of the different types of businesses and the overall feel of the street.
Above the streets there is a lot of studio spaces which are occupied by a few design agencies, solicitors and other companies. There is also a few apartments that people seem to reside in too.
There is lots of cultural artwork throughout the street in the forms of murals on the sides of buildings and walls. This artwork brings a lot of character to the street and links in well with the other cultural aspects. Some artwork pieces even have details of what they are and how they relate to historical aspects of the street such as “The Dark Horse” and “Half Bap Lane”.
Hill Street is home to a lot of bars and a few restaurants with a very strong pub culture at night and on the weekend with people covering Hill Street and overflowing onto Commercial Court. It is very clear that night life and socialisation is very high within Hill Street and it is the meeting place for the older population in Belfast to get drinks with colleagues or friends after work or during their off time at the weekend. Coming from Uni, there is at least 3/4 bars or restaurants in a row which always look very busy as the day goes on and at the weekend it can be hard to get a seat.
Towards the top of street, away from the nightlife is more everyday chilled coffee shops, both of which are very busy in the early morning and during the day especially with students or people working from their laptops. It provides a real split to Hill Street with the daytime coffee shops at the top end and the night life more towards the bottom with a range of businesses in between the two.
Throughout the streets is a lot of historical elements dotted about such as plaques explaining different historical points and people of the street. I even got to speak to a member of the public who a told me about the history of the Harp Bar and the significance it has on the culture and the music they choose to play today which was really informative.
The overall look of the street is very unique and stands out among other areas of Belfast due to its cobbled roads and red brick buildings the whole way along.
<aside> 💭 Reflection
I personally feel the atmosphere of Hill Street is very historical down to the cobbled streets and red brick buildings which stand out among other areas within Belfast. This historical element really impacts the culture of the street and the history of the businesses there especially the older bars. Therefore I am going to focus my tender on either the cultural or historical side of the street. due to the strong cultural element from the cultural art to the night life and pub culture. This will help me think of the touchpoints I want to propose within my Tender.
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