ON August 13th 1958 it was publicly announced that the Belfast Corporation had finally agreed after discussions and proposals dating back to 1937, to take over responsibility for Shankill cemetery and its maintenance. It was decided to ‘transform it from a cemetery’ into a “quiet garden” with seating, spacious lawns and flower beds.
“Turn down this ‘shy thoroughfare’, which runs past the bank to St. Mary’s Chapel and in a moment, you gain the easy clarity of mind that comes from breathing an atmosphere loaded with the fragrance of the past.” (The Glamour of Belfast, H. A. Mac Cartan,1921.)