Street sign at junction of Clonlee Drive and Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3ET

Freestanding street sign at the junction of Clonlee Drive and Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, dating to circa 1923.

The sign is composed of glazed tiles approximately 12 centimetres high, displaying white lettering on a black background in slightly elongated sans serif typeface. The letters spell "CLONLEE DRIVE" vertically, one word above the other. Tiles of varying widths accommodate the different character widths, with blank tiles used to fill extra space on the lower row. A moulded tiling frame surrounds the sign, which is then encased in a wrought iron frame. This frame is attached to a plain iron post.

The sign represents a standardised type produced by Belfast Corporation in the early to mid-twentieth century. Prior to the early 1900s, street signs in Belfast lacked uniformity, with developers and residents installing signs of varying styles. In October 1904, Belfast Corporation's Police Committee established a sub-committee to investigate standardisation. Initially enamel signage was considered, but in July 1907 the Council resolved that "in future tile street signs be used in leading thoroughfares, and iron signs in other streets in accordance with the patterns now submitted", while prohibiting hanging or projecting signs on main arteries. This move towards uniformity responded to the city's rapid expansion and the need for legible street markers. The Corporation's electrification of the tram system in 1905 may have further prompted the initiative, as passengers required clear road identifiers.

Freestanding white-on-black ceramic signs with distinctive elongated sans serif lettering and fluted cast-iron columns with ball finials appear to date from 1907 onwards as Corporation installations. Cast-iron columns were subsequently superseded first by plain metal supports, then by square-section concrete posts. Plain metal variants are difficult to date precisely but appear on streets predating 1907 and those laid out in the early 1930s; concrete versions became standard by the latter date and remained in use at least until 1955, when Corporation tenders for glazed tile sign letters ceased.

Clonlee Drive south of the junction with Clanroy Parade was laid out as an extension of the existing street after 1919 but before the end of 1923, with housing appearing in valuation records only from 1926. The street sign is therefore likely from the mid-1920s. Once ubiquitous throughout Belfast's suburbs, many of these signs have been lost to redevelopment and wear. Those that have survived are now recognised as an important part of the city's civic heritage, their utilitarian yet distinctive design becoming a style symbol for Belfast in recent years. This example, though showing typical damage to the tiling, remains substantially intact and representative of its type.