Banana Block brings new cafe and events space to east of city
Banana Block, a new living museum, cafe and events space in East Belfast has opened its doors.
As far back as 1911, William Richardson, head gardener to former Lord Mayor of Belfast, Sir Otto Jaffe, successfully cultivated ripe bananas in East Belfast.
Jaffe was also the owner of Strand Spinning Mill on the Newtownards Road, once the largest flax tow spinning mill in the world, and now better known as Portview Trade Centre – home of Banana Block.
The project, which includes the Lunch Box Cafe, is the the first step in transforming Portview into a tourism oasis and a unique hub for innovation, creativity and culture in the heart of East Belfast.
“We can’t wait to finally peel back the doors of ‘Banana Block’ and give visitors a first look inside,” said Portview Trade Centre Chairman Brendan Mackin.
‘Butchering to baking’
“Foodies can visit the folks at the Lunch Box Café who are experienced in everything from butchering to baking and growing to grilling – while history buffs should explore the What’s The Story gallery space which is filled with displays of artwork, stories and soundscapes, expressing unique perspectives on the past, present and future.”
The Portview concept development, including Banana Block, is being taken forward by Belfast-based Urban Scale Interventions (USI) and a team of local and international consultants, including existing on-site tenants.
Ralf Alwani, Partner at USI, is looking forward to sampling a home-grown banana beer.
“A must-see is the tropical banana plant-filled greenhouse, which includes an agri-tech living museum and an archive of mill stories,” said Ralf. “The bananas grown here will provide the key ingredient to a banana beer developed by Portview tenant Boundary Brewing, a co-operative brewery owned by its members and just one of the growing number of artisan producers and creative entrepreneurs who now call Portview their home,” he added.
Banana Block has been supported by a development grant from Tourism Northern Ireland and a partnership with National Museums Northern Ireland who have supported heritage interpretation and engagement.
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