Boundary Post, North of Red Bridge, near Lock-keeper's Lane, Belfast, BT8 7XT

Boundary Post

This cast-iron boundary post stands on the County Antrim side of the River Lagan, approximately 10 metres north of the Red Bridge and 100 metres east of the Lock-keeper's Cottage on Milltown Road. The post is marked 1918 but may date from around 1898.

The post is of cast-iron construction with a slightly tapered cylindrical profile, measuring about 1 metre high and approximately 20 centimetres in diameter. It features a banded octagonal base and an oversailing flat octagonal cap with a slightly smaller fluted circular upstand. The very top of the cap is missing. The shaft bears a moulded shield displaying the Belfast Corporation coat of arms, below which is an attached bolted plaque reading "Parliamentary / and Municipal / Boundary of / Belfast / Cromac Division / Cromac Ward / 1918". Although originally painted, the post is now considerably rusted.

The post originally marked the perimeter of the administrative jurisdiction of Belfast Corporation and of Cromac District Electoral Division and Ward. It was established following the Local Government Act 1898 and the Belfast Corporation Act 1896, which defined the 'County of the Borough of Belfast' boundary enacted in 1899. This boundary enclosed the city's four original Parliamentary constituencies established after the 1885 redistribution of seats. Following the Fourth Reform Act of 1918, these four constituencies were abolished and increased to nine, including Cromac, which encompassed its own parliamentary division and municipal ward. The new parliamentary divisions were first used in the General Election of 14 December 1918, a historic occasion that saw women candidates stand for the first time and the franchise extended to men over 21 and women over 30. The Cromac constituency was abolished in 1922 with the inception of the devolved parliament for Northern Ireland.

Due to river erosion, the post has slipped from its original location down onto the banks of the River Lagan and now rests at a distinct incline amongst shrubbery. The damage to its cap and displacement from its original position mean it is no longer of special architectural or historical interest. The post is recorded as derelict.