Wilson's Court

Wilson's Court ca 1810 (Green Collection/NMNI)

WILSON'S COURT, Belfast, runs from 29, High Street, to 24, Ann Street.

Could Wilson's Court have been named after one Samuel Wilson, a printer, who was based near the stone bridge at Bridge Street in 1733? Hugh Gaine (1726-1807) served his apprenticeship in 1740 under Messrs Wilson and Magee.

Wilson's Court ca 1830 (historic OS map)

Today there is little of interest in the entry, apart from a hoist bay on the first floor of the Mermaid Inn.

This bay has sheeted doors and an eight-pane sash window above it.

Decades ago, when I worked in the city centre, I accompanied a colleague to the Mermaid for lunch and a drink during lunch-hour. I recall a cosy little pub, popular with office workers and punters who had been to the turf accountant's further along the entry.

Hoist bay and sash window (Timothy Ferres, 2024)

Marcus Patton, OBE, in his Central Belfast: A Historical Gazetteer, thinks that these features might indicate one of Belfast's earliest surviving domestic buildings.

1908 Street Directory (Timothy Ferres, 2024)

The premises of the inn are thought to date from ca 1800.

High Street entrance to Wilson's Court in 1916  "Rainbow Hotel"
etched on glass notice (Hogg Collection/NMNI). CLICK TO ENLARGE

In 1860 the premises operated as the Rainbow Hotel and Tavern; Hugh Rafferty was the proprietor.

The first edition of the Northern Star was published at Wilson's Court in 1792.