When Banana Block began to take shape
Tourism NI investment, matched by Portview, helped transform around 700 sq m of vacant mill space into the project that would become Banana Block.
In May 2021, plans were announced to transform a vacant part of Portview into one of the site’s most distinctive regeneration projects: Banana Block.
Portview and National Museums NI developed the proposal as a living museum and visitor experience within the former Strand Spinning Mill. Tourism Northern Ireland provided a grant of £148,950 towards the project, with the funding matched by Portview.
The concept drew inspiration from an unusual piece of East Belfast history. In 1911, William Richardson, head gardener to Sir Otto Jaffe, successfully cultivated ripe bananas in Belfast. Jaffe was closely connected with Strand Spinning Mill, and more than a century later that story provided the starting point for a new use within the historic complex.
Banana Block was conceived as more than a heritage display. The project combined heritage, growing, tourism, events, food, enterprise and community activity within around 700 sq m of previously vacant space.
It became an early demonstration of Portview’s approach to adaptive reuse: keeping the character and stories of the old mill while creating a space with a completely new purpose.
Contemporary coverage / source: LoveBelfast – Portview banana project ripe for development | Agriland – Project underway to grow bananas in Belfast
