Cooney's Court, Belfast

Cooney's Court, 1880, by George Trobridge (image: NMNI)

COONEY'S COURT was a large courtyard at 13, Ann Street, Marcus Patton, OBE, recounts in his guide, Central Belfast: A Historical Gazetteer.

It was beside the extant Freemasons' Hall at Arthur Square.

Cooney's Court, 1894, looking towards the entrance in Ann Street (Welch Collection/NMNI)

Belfast's first linen hall was established here by the 4th Earl of Donegall, and operated from 1739 until 1754; it was auctioned off in 1756.

Artillery Barracks, 1894 (Welch Collection/NMNI)

It subsequently became artillery barracks and a gaol: Henry Joy McCracken was incarcerated here till his execution in 1798.

Belfast's second bank was established at Cooney's Court in 1787, the partners being Messrs. John Ewing, John Holmes, John Brown, and John Hamilton, commonly called "the Bank of the Four Johns."

Cooney's Court at Ann Street, by Sinclair Ramsay ca 1889 (Image: NMNI)

In the late 18th century its tenements were acquired and sub-let by one Courteney Cooney.

Entrance to Cooney's Court in Ann Street, 1894 (Welch Collection/NMNI)

Part of the Court still existed in the early 20th century, having been cleared in 1894, and was redeveloped as Francis Curley's Whitehall Buildings ca 1900.

It subsequently became the location of a Littlewoods store.