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101:. Here, it was spanned by a stone crossing called the Saltwater Bridge, which stood where the Boyne Bridge stands today. In the 17th century the situation of the Blackstaff became a problem for the newly built town of Belfast, which found its potential for expansion limited by the mud flats on its southern side. A variety of improvements were made in the succeeding years. A new channel was cut at the river's mouth to allow boats to reach a wharf at
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complained that the river had gone from being "little more polluted than a mountain burn" to "the greatest eyesore in the town", and proposed a system of culverts to hide it from view. This work was accomplished in the succeeding decade, and the river was buried beneath the city. Much like the
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118:) purchased a parcel of land at Cromac in order to build a paper mill, which would be powered by the Blackstaff. The original outlet of the river was turned into a mill dam, giving additional power to the mill. The dam was later drained and developed into the
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district of the city, while the paper mill closed in the 1850s. The
Gasworks here opened in 1823 and continued to operate until the 1980s, when the site was converted into a business park and the section of the Blackstaff that ran through it was culverted.
61:
and built upon since the 19th century, making it largely invisible today. Its tributaries include the Forth or
Clowney River, which meets it beneath the Broadway Roundabout in West Belfast.
151:. It has been cited as a main contributor to the high flood risk in central and low-lying areas of Belfast. In particular on 16 August 2008, a newly opened underpass carrying the
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during a lean period in order to provide relief for local labourers, allowed development to commence on the southern side of Ann Street, the original limit of the town.
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controversially flooded to a depth of 20 feet (6.1 m) during heavy rain with water from the culverted
Blackstaff and Clowney Rivers.
135:, the Blackstaff is now largely invisible, although there are still unculverted sections along the Boucher Road in the west of the city.
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105:, and in the 1690s the river was diverted through a cutting in Cromac Wood, at what is now the Gasworks. This work, commissioned by the
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or
Owenvarra, meaning "river of the staff". In earlier times the Blackstaff flowed into the Lagan immediately above the present-day
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The
Blackstaff remained open until the late 19th century, but became increasingly foul and polluted. In 1881, an article in the
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The
Blackstaff's name probably references a primitive crossing formed from blackened beams of oak. It was known in Irish as the
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Sterrett, Ken; Murtagh, Brendan; Millar, Gerry (2005). "The Social Turn and Urban
Development Corporations".
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Broadway
Underpass – Westlink, Belfast: Independent Report into the Flooding Incident on 16 August 2008
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A 1791 map of
Belfast showing the course of the Blackstaff and the situation of Joy's Paper Mill
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A History of the Town of
Belfast, From the Earliest Times to the Close of the 18th Century
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The Gasworks in 1935, when the lower reach of the Blackstaff was still uncovered
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437:. Irish Historic Towns Atlas. Dublin: the Royal Irish Academy. p. 50.
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313:. Belfast: the Ulster Historical Foundation. p. 11; pp. 146–7.
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538:"Floods Prompt Call For Tighter Controls Over River Culverting"
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Early Belfast: The Origins and Growth of an Ulster Town to 1750
97:, and formed a wide, muddy estuary that extended as far up as
25:
The culverted mouth of the Blackstaff at the Belfast Gasworks
552:"Locations at Significant Risk (Greater Belfast Sub Plan)"
613:(Report). Amey Consulting. October 2008. Archived from
375:"The 18th Century Paper-Makers of the North of Ireland"
228:(1855). "The True Position of the Ford of Belfast".
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The Blackstaff is a "designated watercourse" of the
385:. Belfast: the Ulster Historical Foundation: 50–1.
112:In 1767, Henry Joy (whose family published the
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362:. London: Marcus Ward & Co. p. 552.
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461:. Culture Northern Ireland. Archived from
258:(1944). "Belfast: The Site and the City".
206:. The Northern Ireland Place-Names Project
147:, and is controlled and maintained by the
708:Subterranean rivers of the United Kingdom
540:. The Belfast Telegraph. 27 August 2008.
342:. Belfast and London: W. & G. Baird.
340:Additional Sidelights on Belfast History
293:. Belfast and London: W. & G. Baird.
291:Additional Sidelights on Belfast History
176:O'Regan, Raymond; Magee, Arthur (2014).
519:Sefton, Mark; McColgan, Gerard (2019).
182:. Dublin: the History Press (Ireland).
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41:. It rises on the eastern slope of the
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379:Familia: Ulster Geneaological Review
582:"Widespread Chaos Caused by Floods"
558:. The Rivers Agency. Archived from
16:River in Belfast, Northern Ireland
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492:(4). Abingdon: Routledge: 382–3.
486:Planning, Practice & Research
409:. Hearth Historic Buildings Trust
260:The Ulster Journal of Archaeology
230:The Ulster Journal of Archaeology
204:"Blackstaff River, County Antrim"
521:"Ormeau Avenue Sewerage Upgrade"
431:Belfast, Part II: 1840 to 1900
336:"Arthur, 1st Earl of Donegall"
57:. Much of its course has been
49:and passing under the city of
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145:Department for Infrastructure
45:before flowing down into the
556:Greater Belfast Pilot Study
307:Gillespie, Raymond (2007).
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703:Rivers of Northern Ireland
179:The Little Book of Belfast
498:10.1080/02697450600766795
526:. Water Projects Online.
334:Millin, Shannon (1938).
287:"Old Bridges of Belfast"
285:Millin, Shannon (1938).
139:Maintenance and flooding
698:Rivers of County Antrim
428:Royle, Stephen (2007).
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648:30 March 2010 at the
373:Muir, Alison (2004).
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674:54.58074°N 5.96326°W
652:of Northern Ireland.
465:on 22 September 2020
33:is a watercourse in
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562:on 23 December 2012
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459:"Belfast Gasworks"
115:Belfast Newsletter
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662:54°34′51″N
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210:14 January
163:References
128:Newsletter
665:5°57′48″W
624:21 August
592:21 August
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506:154591817
155:onto the
99:Sandy Row
59:culverted
646:Archived
356:(1877).
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120:Markets
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268:JSTOR
262:. 3.
238:JSTOR
232:. 1.
626:2012
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