The Ormeau Road in South Belfast begins where Cromac Street merges with Ormeau Avenue. It continues south to where Church Road meets Saintfield Road. First built in 1815, Ormeau Road was then known as the New Ballynafeigh Road. The parallel Ravenhill Road at the time was the Old Ballynafeigh Road.
During the Second World War, personnel of the U.S. Army were a familiar sight in the area. The American Military assembled vehicles along the edge of the Ormeau Park along what is now the Ormeau Embankment. The British Army also occupied buildings such as Havelock House, from where they guarded bridges over the River Lagan.
Ormeau Road in 1943
The following information is taken from the 1943 Belfast Street Directory.
| First Name(s) | Last Name | Occupation |
|---|
First Name(s) | Last Name | Occupation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FH | Gillespie | Publican |
| 101 | Air Raid Precautions Post | ||
| 103 | William | Hutchinson | Driver |
| 105 | Mrs | Riley | |
| 107 | James | Corr | Rent Agent |
| 109 | Joseph | Poole | Motor Manager |
| 11 | Watters' | Home Bakery | |
| 111 | Samuel | Martin | Grocer |
| 113 | Martin | Coen | Publican |
| 115 | Cafe Savola |
Places of Interest
The following places will be of interest to anyone wishing to explore more of the area's Second World War heritage.