past, present and future

On 28 August one of Belfast's most iconic buildings went up in smoke. Everyone in the store was safely evacuated but as I pen this blip, 12 hours after the fire started, fire crews are still on site.
The Bank Buildings has had a varied past. It was designed by a famous architect, Sir Robert Taylor and erected by Waddell Cunningham in 1785. The original use of the building was as a bank - hence its name. Since the four founders of the bank all had the first name of John (Brown, Ewing, Hamilton and Holmes), the bank was called The Bank of the Four Johns. By the turn of the 1800s the bank had collapsed and the buildings became the residence of the bishop of Down and Connor, Rev. Dr. William Dickson. The building was then converted into a shop in 1805. 
As an aside, around this time, the area in front of the Bank Buildings was also used to execute criminals before this practice came to an end in 1816. 
The last three people to be hanged were weavers who had twice attacked the home of their employer, Francis Johnston, in an argument over the wages they had been paid.


Today, after being the target of terrorist bombs during "the troubles" and in the midst of a £30m refurb, the store was gutted. But the store can be replaced. The lives that were saved today are more important , but now the families of the employees must be reflecting both on what could have been as well as upon their futures. Let us pray that some good might come from such a terrible event. 
The extra pictures are courtesy of BBC, the recent and the old facades