College Square East. Belfast Met, Belfast

Belfast Metropolitan College, also known as Belfast Met, is a further and higher education institution in Belfast. The college traces its origins back to the beginning of the twentieth century when the Belfast Municipal Technical Institute was established in 1906. It was in a grand building in College Square East, constructed between 1902 and 1906.

College Square East survived the Belfast blitz with students often having to hide in its air-raid shelters during WWII.

College Square East was formally known colloquially as the 'Black Man Tech'. This is because of the statue of Dr Henry Cooke, a leading 19th century Presbyterian, which stands outside the building. The statue of Cooke is not marble, but copper, like most other architecture around the city of Belfast around the same time. Due to exposure to the elements, most of these statues and domes around the city have oxidised, producing a green colour of copper oxide, especially noticeable on the nearby City Hall.

It is the architecture of this institution that gathers numerous tourists around it. Once you decide to go to Belfast and admire its landmarks, Belfast Metropolitan College is a must see spot.