Look up above Queen’s Arcade in Belfast and you’ll find a little castle, ornate carvings and the initials of a famous London fashion house.
The building dates back to 1880, when it was developed for George Fisher, proprietor of the Castle Restaurant. The miniature castle at the top may reference the restaurant or Belfast’s original castle, which once stood nearby.
But look a little further down the façade and you’ll spot the letters AR under a diamond.
They belong to Austin Reed, the London menswear company founded in 1900, which became famous for its Regent Street flagship.
Austin Reed occupied premises here, and during alterations in the 1930s, the company’s initials were added to the Victorian façade.
A little castle, a London fashion house and layers of history hiding above Belfast’s shopfronts.
Sometimes the best discoveries happen when you look up.
BELFAST | ALWAYS.
