Belfast Harbour Office EHOD 2026

Since opening in 1852, Harbour Office has been the HQ of Belfast Harbour Commissioners, the body charged with the operation, maintenance and development of the Port of Belfast. The architectural style reflects that of an Italian palazzo.

The first section of the building, designed by the Commissioners' engineer George Smith and erected at a cost of some £8,000 was opened in 1854.  A subsequent extension, by the celebrated Belfast architect William Henry Lynn, was completed in 1895 at a cost of £14,439.  

The ground floor of the building is currently used as office accommodation, whilst the grandiose rooms on the upper floor are reserved for business meetings, including the Commissioners' board meetings and special functions.  

These rooms, heavily ornate in typical Victorian fashion, also provide an ideal setting for the Commissioners' impressive fine art collection.  

To herald in the new Millennium, the building was refurbished by the Commissioners, who are committed to maintaining its historic fabric in its original glory.  

The Clock Tower was constructed as part of the original 1854 Italianate Harbour Commissioners' Office, when the Belfast skyline was free of the numerous high-rise buildings which abound today, the four faces of the Clock Tower for many years played a vital role in letting the citizens of Belfast know the time. If you knew the time, you had a good idea of the position of the tide and of sailing times - something which was of vital importance to everyone involved with the shipping industry in the 19th Century.