Longbridge Drinks

The story behind the name

Once upon a time, a bridge was built across the River Lagan, linking Belfast town on one side with its river and lough, to County Down on the other, with its quays. It had 21 arches and cost £8,000 to build. This was Long Bridge, ‘the mall where all the company of Belfast took the air in a summer’s evening.’

Almost a mile in length, Long Bridge was indeed, the longest on the British Isles and Belfast was famous for it. It was a piece of architecture that brought the city and the people together. Industry flowed beneath, with tugs chugging coal-laden barges down to the linen mills, lowering their funnels as they passed under the arches, while above, the locals promenaded.

Long Bridge endured from 1688 to 1841, when disrepair saw it replaced by the new five-arch Queen’s Bridge, which was officially opened by Queen Victoria herself and linked into Belfast’s beating industrial heartland.

A new era had arrived.

Our name, Longbridge Drinks Co, subsequently recalls this iconic symbol of Belfast’s past – a bridge which connected the city and bolstered trade. A landmark enjoyed by strollers. Rebirthed in a new era – gone but not quite forgotten.

www.longbridgedrinks.com