History Of The Barge
What is The Belfast Barge?
The MV Confiance arrived in Belfast in 2006 after Derek Booker, chair of Lagan Legacy, bought the boat for £100,000.
Lagan Legacy is a social enterprise set up with the mission to present the history and industrial heritage of the River Lagan and the people that used it by way of a permanent exhibition. The ‘Home place’ for the exhibition is housed on a barge, which is permanently moored adjacent to Lanyon Place, which is located to the rear of Belfast’s Waterfront Hall.
Since arriving in 2006, The Barge been fully renovated to house a museum, a multi-use performance space and a café. It is set to become a cultural hub on the river lagan, regenerating the area and encouraging citizenship as well as economic development.
Origins Of The Barge
The Barge’s official name is ‘MV Confiance’. It is was built in 1960 and its origins are as a Dutch cargo barge. Below is a fascinating image of The Barge in its original state in 1960.
Journey To Belfast
MV Confiance began its journey to Belfast in 2006 after Derek Booker, chair of Lagan Legacy, bought the boat for £100,000.
The crew sailed the vessel from Amsterdam in the Netherlands, although a trip they thought would take only a few days ended up taking a month.
Rough seas and bad weather forced them to call at a number of ports, all together they say they waited 24 days, only spending six days at sea.
While there were a few hairy moments for skipper Alan Pratt, his nerves remained calm at the helm as he gently steered her through the weirs of the River Lagan.
Restoration
The Barge MV Confiance, has been restored as part of Lagan Legacy’s plans to create a dedicated maritime museum which tells the story of the River Lagan and Northern Ireland’s industrial and maritime heritage. Funding was secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund (£624,000), the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (£150,000), and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (£90,000).
The Barge has since been fully renovated to house a Museum, a state-of-the art multi-purpose performance space/Arts Centre and a café. It is set to become a cultural hub on the river lagan, regenerating the area and encouraging citizenship as well as economic development.
Work Completion
The Barge MV Confiance, has been restored as part of Lagan Legacy’s plans to create a dedicated maritime museum which tells the story of the River Lagan and Northern Ireland’s industrial and maritime heritage. Funding was secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund (£624,000), the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (£150,000), and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (£90,000).
The Barge has since been fully renovated to house a Museum, a state-of-the art multi-purpose performance space/Arts Centre and a café. It is set to become a cultural hub on the river lagan, regenerating the area and encouraging citizenship as well as economic development.
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