29/06/2026
AI impression of how Soho Foundry in Townsend Street would’ve looked.
Reimagining Townsend Street: Belfast's Original Enterprise Hub
When people think of Townsend Street today, they often think of its place in Belfast's recent history.
But long before the Peace Gates, this was a place of industry, innovation, commerce and opportunity.
Imagine the scene almost 200 years ago.
The air filled with the sound of hammering metal. Workers streaming through the gates of the world-renowned Soho Foundry. Engineers, craftsmen and apprentices creating water wheels, turbines and machinery that would be exported across Ireland and beyond.
This was Belfast at work.
Townsend Street was not simply a street. It was an economic powerhouse. A place where people earned a living, built businesses, learned trades and helped fuel the industrial growth of a city that would become known around the world for manufacturing and engineering excellence.
Using AI, and with the help of Town Planner and PhD Researcher Tiernan Fitzlarkin from Ulster University, we have reimagined what Townsend Street may have looked like almost 200 years ago, with the Soho Foundry standing proudly beside Townsend Street Presbyterian Church, today home to the Ulster Orchestra.
While this image is a creative interpretation, it reminds us of something important.
Townsend Street has always been a place of enterprise.
From the foundry workers and innovators of the 1800s to the 46 thriving businesses that call Townsend Enterprise Park home today, the spirit of entrepreneurship, hard work and community continues to thrive.
The businesses may have changed, but the energy, ambition and enterprise remain the same.
What do you think of this glimpse into Townsend Street's past?
🏛️ History shapes the future.
