Alexandra Park, Belfast facts for kids
Alexandra Park is a lovely old park located in the northern part of Belfast. It was named after Princess Alexandra and first opened its gates in 1888. Like many parks from that time, it has a neat and planned design, with paths lined by trees. There are also fun play areas for children to enjoy.
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A Park Divided: The Peace Wall
Alexandra Park is quite unique because it is thought to be the only park in western Europe that is split by a three-metre-high wall. This wall was built in 1994. It is one of several "peace walls" found across Belfast. These walls were put up to help prevent arguments and violence between different groups of people in the city.
Why Was the Wall Built?
The wall's foundations were started on 1 September 1994. This was the same day that a major step towards peace, called the first IRA ceasefire, happened in Northern Ireland. For a long time, the northern part of the park could only be reached from the Antrim Road. The southern part was only accessible from the Shore Road. This meant people from different areas had separate entrances to the same park.
Bringing Communities Together
A big change happened in September 2011. A special gate was put into the wall to connect the two parts of the park. This gate allowed people from both communities to easily move between the different sections. It was first opened on weekdays for a few hours each day, as a test. This was a hopeful step towards bringing everyone in the area closer together.
Images for kids
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A view of the Alexandra Park fence from the Antrim Road side.
