Status : Burn/The washington/The rusty saddle
21 Howard St, Belfast BT1 6NB
The Washington is named in memory of George Washington, the six foot six inches tall 1st President of the United States, whose ancestors originally came from Mount Vernon near Fortwilliam in Belfast, after which name he called his own residence in Williamsburg. He died in 1799, just shortly before the Washington Hotel was opened on the present site of the new bar.
Mid-19th century Howard Street then was one of the most select residential areas of Belfast. Here lived actors, doctors, writers, linen merchants, and in No. 10 lived the renowned architect Sir Charles Lanyon, while No. 13 was a little bit different from the others. This was the house of Correction, where those who had drunk too freely or had otherwise misbehaved themselves got compulsory lodging for the night.
Belfast’s first public transport system – The Horse Trams (single-decker, drawn by one horse) began at The Washington. The first tram left at 8 o’clock in the morning, and there were only 2 routes: one to Botanic Gardens, and the other to the Midland Hotel in York Street. The little depot for the trams was behind the Washington in Wellington Street, while the horses were stabled in what is now the grounds of the City Hall. When the last trams returned at 8 in the evening and the tram-men had completed their chores, they then had a couple of jars before retiring to sleep in the hayloft above the bar.
The old Washington was the local for many artists and performers. I was told by the late Harold Goldblatt, one of the founders of the Group Theatre, that one of the large snugs was often used as a kind of rehearsal room as the players went over their lines as they sipped pleasantly on a glass of stout. For some reason, the old bar attracted seafaring men. You could walk in there any time and find a Captain, engineer or radio officer, just returned from leave from any one of the 7 seas.
You wouldn’t recognise The Washington of today, which opened in November 1988. Eamonn Diamond, son of the late Harry Diamond of Bellevue Arms, purchased it a few years back from the McAlinden family. He also bought over two adjoining shops and so trebled the property. The impressive white-fronted building has 5 large semi-circular windows: two on the first floor and three on the ground floor, and all embossed with the name and profile of Washington. Running along the entire length of the facade, 2 feet high panels depict famous episodes in the life of Washington: the crossing of the Delaware, the retreat at Long Island, and Washington conferring with his generals, intercut with a flag and bugle motif . . . very well executed. Inside is very modern, with a colonial theme throughout. I didn’t recognise this at first, until Fintan McDonnell of Ferguson and Wheeler, the interior designers, pointed out to me the lighting theme, which featured a mock candelabra, or torch with stained glass top cut out like a fore-and-aft colonial hat. This theme is repeated throughout the bar. The lovely ‘Island’ bar is a focal point, with its row of diamond-patterned black and white tiles. The ceiling is another work of art, with 4 separate large stained glass coffers. Around the entire bar are original paintings on a Colonial theme by Naomi McBride. The wood used throughout the bar is Afromosia, while beechwood covers the floor. The upstairs is large, and very trendy, and geared for the younger market.
Finally, one nice touch. Immediately you enter the downstairs bar, the lovely aroma of freshly-made bread will hit you and entice you to eat, for – as far as I am aware – George is the only full-time baker employed by any bar in the North.