Havelock House, Belfast

Coordinates: 54°35′20″N 5°55′30″W / 54.589°N 5.925°W / 54.589; -5.925

Havelock House in 2009.

Havelock House, located on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, is the current headquarters of UTV Media plc (formerly UTV plc). The building is home to the company's television and local radio services UTV and U105, and Internet service provider, UTV Internet. It has been home to Ulster Television since the station went on air in 1959.

History

Before the building was converted into a television studio complex, Havelock House was the former site of a hemstitching warehouse.^[1] During World War II, the building was the billet for troops to provide cover for Belfast's bridges.^[1] Ulster Television acquired the premises at the cost of £17,000.^[2]

Initially, the building contained one studio. A second studio was opened in the building in 1964. Construction of an extension to Havelock House began in 1992 in preparation for the station's new franchise period and its upcoming rebranding. The extension was opened on 4 June 1993, the day the station rebranded itself from Ulster Television to UTV, and the official opening of the extension was performed by former UTV newsreader, Gloria Hunniford.

For many years, Ulster Television's studio base at Havelock House was also used by television film crews around the world to process and edit film footage of "The Troubles". ITN reporters were also regularly seen reporting on the rooftop of Havelock House, including former UTV reporter John Irvine.

Havelock House in 1975.

Notable productions

The local news programme UTV Live is broadcast from the building's Studio 1.^[3] At present, it is believed Studio 2 is not in use for any productions. Studio 2 was used for many years as the home of the Kelly Show, the top rated Friday night chatshow on UTV hosted by Gerry Kelly from 1989-2005. The studio was also used for light entertainment programmes such as McKeever and May McFettridge specials. However in recent years due to cost cutting, UTV has stopped making these types of shows and thus Studio 2 has remained mostly unused.

Havelock House also houses a smaller studio with a chroma key background, where short UTV News bulletins and continuity announcements are transmitted from. This studio, which forms part of UTV's Central Technical Area, has been in use since 2002 when it replaced "Studio 3", another smaller presentation studio where in-vision continuity and shorter news bulletins were broadcast from. The location of the old Central Technical Area and "Studio 3" in Havelock House were completely renovated in January 2003 and converted into office space for UTV Internet who moved from a leased office site in Bruce Street in March 2003.

Among other series recorded in the studios at Havelock House include Kelly, School Around the Corner, McKeever and All Mixed Up.

References