Queen Street Police Station facts for kids
The Queen Street RUC Station was a police station in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was used by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) from 1933 to 2000. Before that, from 1878 to 1932, it was the main building for the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. The building has been empty since 2000 and is showing signs of wear and tear. It was given a special "listed" status in 1979, meaning it's an important building that should be protected.
Contents
What is the History of the Queen Street Building?
How Was the Building Used as a Hospital?
The land for the building was bought in 1876 from the Belfast Corporation, which is like the city council. It was an empty piece of land next to the Gas Office. Before that, a group called the Mechanics Guild used the plot.
William McCammond was the builder for the hospital. He later became the Lord Mayor of Belfast, which is like the city's main leader.
Architects Thomas Jackson & Son were chosen to design the hospital. Thomas and his two sons designed many famous buildings in Belfast.
They planned a hospital with a Baroque style, which is a fancy, detailed type of architecture. It was meant to have 44 beds, but it opened with only 18. Many beds had special cards showing who had donated money. The hospital was supposed to cost £3,840 but ended up costing over £5,000. It was finished in 1877, even with some problems. However, the date carved on the building was changed to 1878.
The hospital moved out of the building in 1932. This was after 53 years of helping children. A new hospital opened on the Falls Road.
When Did the RUC Use the Building?
The Northern Ireland Ministry of Home Affairs bought the old hospital building in 1933. It then became a police station.
In 1937, it was listed as one of two police stations in "Division A." Sergeant Brown was in charge of this division. Like many police stations back then, the building was usually open to the public. Officers would patrol without weapons. This continued until the early 1970s when a period of conflict called the Troubles began.
After many attacks, police officers started carrying weapons. They also made the building more secure. This included adding a sanger, which is a small, protected lookout post, and a tall wire fence. During the Troubles, two police officers were shot and killed near the station by the IRA.
The building worked as a police station from 1933 until January 16, 2000. All police work moved to the Musgrave police station on Victoria Street. Then, the Queen Street building was left empty.
Who Was a Notable Officer at Queen Street?
Sir Ronnie Flanagan was a very important police officer. He later became the Chief Constable of the RUC and then the first Chief Constable of the PSNI. He started his police career at the Queen Street station.
When he was a young officer, he was assigned to guard the bodies of three men. One of them was Gunner Robert Curtis. He was the first British soldier to be killed during the Troubles. Young Flanagan stood alone watching over the victims in the old Belfast morgue. He once said:
"There was this idea that the IRA might try to take the bodies away, and I was there to guard them. I had no firearms or anything."
