Colour and Abandonment

It was hard to know what title to use for this.  While driving by I have been struck with the wall mural of a Spitfire, which I spied in the distance.  It's located in the Clarawood Estate in East Belfast.  So today I made my way into the estate, which was built in the late 1940s.  However in 1967 they build a 15 story block of flats, or apartments for our US friends.  I well remember it being built.

I was aware from local news that all high-rise social housing blocks in Belfast are due to be demolished within the next few years, and so I found this 15 story block totally unoccupied, its entrance sealed off with steel shutters.  Oddly the second image shows lights switched on in the stair well!

Hence my title!  After a little research I found that the mural was created by a Glen Molloy, who said when he painted it that the aim of the murals was to promote positivity in East Belfast and brighten the area up and make it a bit more colourful.  It's sad that there is no one living here to enjoy it.


Two extra photos give another perspective of the site.