Belfast's Riddel Warehouse set to transform from ironmongery site to performance venue

Many walk past it, but few know what exists behind its doors.

Riddel's Warehouse on Ann Street was once home to ironmongers John Riddel & Co. but now it's on course to be the centre stage for the arts sector.

That's thanks to a serious cash injection from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

For Casey Ramsay, it's welcome news.

Not only was her dad a former managing director at the firm, but her great, great, great, great grandfather John Riddel commissioned it to be built back in 1867.

She gave me a bespoke guided tour of the place that is so close to her heart.

"It must have been in the 1970s that I was last in this building," she explained.

"The platform in the middle of the room wasn't here back then, it was just a big empty space.

"The goods were all stacked in the galleries around the edges. It was absolutely full of materials where bolts and screws were stored, there was steel stacked and bundles of brush handles.

"The first floor was the managing director's office and board room and I remember going in there and being absolutely terrified by the open 12ft drop at the side of the room where materials were once brought up.

"You should see the old accident book but actually there were no serious injuries or accidents thank goodness!"

Although its been empty for the last few years, the hope is that people will soon be back treading the boards.

Director of National Lottery Heritage Fund in Northern Ireland, Paul Mullan said the project is about maintaining part of Belfast's history.

"The initial funding is £464,000 in order to develop the project but there is the potential for up to £5m in total.

"We would not be putting our money in unless it had a wider purpose and that's what the work of the team will be who are developing the project."

Marcus Patton is Vice chair of Hearth historic building trust which now owns the site.

“We don’t really intend to change very much to the building at all," he explained.

"We want to keep the character of it. It’s very strongly built, designed with floor boards that are extremely thick and heavy beams as well, so it’s designed to carry heavy weight.

"It can adapt to the kind of use we have in mind. We do however need to bring in services. What they didn’t have in 1867 was electricity, proper toilets and things like that, so all those have to be introduced after 150 years.

“It’s a lot easier to do in a building like this than building a new one. You’d be talking about 10 times the cost to build this as it is, simply to adapt what’s here."

One-hundred-and-fifty years on, what would John Riddel have thought of the redesign of the space?

"The Riddels were one of the philanthropic families in Belfast in Victorian times and I think they would be delighted," explained Casey Ramsay.

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