8-14 Callender St. Belfast

Callender Street dates from about 1791. Numbers 8-14 are now the location of Aldens In The City restaurant on the ground floor. In 1888 it was the site of Murray, Sons and Company's tobacco factory, when there must surely have been a heady aroma of that addictive leaf for passers-by. When Murray's relocated, it was occupied for a period by Hanna and Browne's furniture showroom.

This premises, like others on the street, has been linked by common ownership to adjacent buildings in Arthur Street.

Why, I wonder, is it spelt with two letter Ls? A calender is a machine consisting of two hot rollers for pressing paper or cloth - such as linen - smooth and glossy. Perhaps the spelling with two Ls is simply an anomaly, since words and names were often spelt as spoken or as they sounded. I'm open to suggestions...