This is a post in my new occasional series, ‘A Wee Walk on a Wednesday’.

I’ve seen signposts aimed in the direction of CS Lewis Square in Belfast for the longest time, but it wasn’t until recently that I found out just how intertwined Clive Staples Lewis’ life was with the east side of Belfast.

I thought it would be fun to go around all the historic places that feature on what this site calls “The C.S. Lewis Trail” so I dutifully followed a link from there to this gorgeously designed PDF … only to find myself bereft of directions, instructions and, indeed, any clear indication of an actual trail.

Me being me, I just made up my own, starting off from Sydenham train station with Titanic Quarter the goal – although I went the long way around:

Here’s the route in more detail, should you be so inclined:

Start off at Sydenham train station, and head up Station Road. When you see a little cluster of shops on your right and an off-licence on your left, you’ll discover that the road ahead is now named Circular Road. Head up that way and follow the road until you pass Belmont Park on the right. Up ahead you’ll find…

Little Lea

The Lewis family moved here in 1905, when Clive was about 7 years old. It’s a private residence so you can’t do much else but gawk at the exterior. Try and do that subtly though, nobody likes being stared at while they’re having their morning tea & toast.

Campbell College

After Little Lea, double back and head through Belmont Park. Head south until you come to a fork in the path, and then take the one branching off to the right. This’ll take you down to the Belmont Road which you’re going to have to cross at some point, so pray to whichever gods you worship as the traffic is usually pretty bananas. The entrance to Campbell College, where CS Lewis studied for a whole term, can be seen on one side of the roundabout here. I’m not sure how easy it is to just wander into the grounds of a school when there’s not a pandemic on, but I’d wager it’s frowned upon.

On a plus note, you’re not missing a whole lot – Campbell’s main connection to CS Lewis is a belief that a lamppost in the grounds was the model for the lamppost in Narnia. Unfortunately, there are a great many lampposts which make this claim, as I learned to my amusement over at this site.

St. Mark’s Church, Dundela

Turning back again and heading north up the Belmont Road this time, you’ll come to Strathearn school on the right side. Take a right up here on to Wandsworth Drive, and follow that road to the end. Turn left and go on down past Belmont Presbyterian church – a fine looking place of worship in its own right. As you walk down this road, Sydenham Drive, you should be able to see one of the two cranes at the Harland & Wolff shipyard.

These two cranes are known locally as Samson & Goliath, although I can never remember which one is which. I do know that Samson is the bigger of the two and the youngest, built in 1974. Goliath, on the other hand, was built in 1969 – I’ve a feeling he’s the one in the picture above, but as I say, I can never remember.

St. Mark’s was where CS Lewis was christened, and there’s also a beautiful stained glass window inside, donated by the Lewis family in the thirties.

It looks like the church is closed except on Sundays. I’m not sure if this is because of the pandemic, but if you’re particularly devoted, you could probably turn up for a service and have a wee nosey as you sang your hymns.

We’re going to double back again and head down the Holywood Road, towards The Strand, Belfast’s oldest cinema, about which you can learn a lot more by visiting their site.

You’ll want to take a left here and then a very quick right down Dundela Crescent, which you should follow until it meets Dundela Avenue. Turn left here and walk up past the football ground. Soon enough, you’ll come to :

Dundela Flats / 47 Dundela Avenue

Formerly Dundela Villas, where Lewis was born in 1898, there’s now a block of flats here. A blue plaque marks the historical significance of the location, but that’s about all there is to see.

This site has a couple of historical images and some information about the original building.

To get to the next destination, turn around & walk back down past the Police station and take a left onto the Holywood Road. When you see Mackenzie & Dorman Solicitors, turn right onto Connsbrook Avenue. A few minutes down here will bring you to…

184 Parkgate Avenue

Another private residence, so be respectful and don’t be wandering down their driveway. This was home to Lewis’ grandfather, who apparently built a wardrobe for Little Lea. It is unconfirmed whether this wardrobe served as a portal through time and space.

CS Lewis Square

Heading down Parkgate Avenue towards Mersey Street, keep walking until you come to the Mersey Street bridge which crosses over Conn’s Water. Take a left and walk along the riverside up towards the square, which, confusingly, has a big circular pit in the middle. Ho hum.

At any rate, it’s not hard to spot. You should see the EastSide Visitor centre in one corner, and a big statue of Aslan near where you came in. There are a few more statues of Narnian celebrities dotted along the tree-lined path behind everyone’s favourite Christian lion:

There are also some funky pieces of street art near here:

At the opposite end of the path from Aslan, you’ll find :

Holywood Arches Library

The building itself is pleasant enough but the really cool thing is the statue in front of the library:

The back of the wardrobe has some very interesting details too: a letter to a fan from CS Lewis, a small piece about wardrobes and Aslan himself.

There are quite a few cafés and restaurants around this area, including the brilliantly named Kamakura Japanese restaurant, which inexplicably serves both sushi & ramen. Not sure how authentic either of those are likely to be, but as you’re 10,000km away from the actual Kamakura I’m not sure you’ve much grounds for grumbling.

If you head back towards the Aslan statue, cross the road, and follow the path past the Connswater Community Centre you’ll soon come to Island street, at the end of which lies the final stop:

The CS Lewis Mural

This adorns the end house on Convention Court, so – you guessed it – private residence and all that, remember your manners.

(I met a bunch of wee lads out playing on their bikes when I was there, they were very friendly so I’m sure you’ll be grand too.)

All done now, nothing really left to do except to head to Titanic Quarter Station…

… although if you’ve still got plenty of energy you could quite happily head on over to the Titanic Quarter itself. Plenty to see and do there. I suspect that that would be a post for another day, however.